


Little do we know

by OnePieceTrashh



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Cheerleader!Sanji, Crush at First Sight, Crushes, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Idiots in Love, Love at First Sight, M/M, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sanji Is Not A Vinsmoke, Sanji knows what he's doing, Zoro doesn't, footballplayer!Zoro, really just a shitload of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-01
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2020-07-28 19:21:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20069242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnePieceTrashh/pseuds/OnePieceTrashh
Summary: Having everything under control was something Roronoa Zoro was known for all over his college. His movements while playing American football were controlled, his face was always stoic, and he never, ever lost his cool.However, his world of peace and control quickly gets turned upside down when the French exchange student arrives, quickly claiming his place as the new head of the cheerleader team.





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> WHOA LOOK IT'S MY VERY FIRST FANFIC!
> 
> I've had this idea for such a long time, you have no idea.  
Sanji being a cheerleader and Zoro an American football player was a college AU I've been thinking of for a couple of months now, and I finally decided to write the first chapter out!
> 
> Some things to keep in mind before reading:
> 
> First-English is not my first language! So any mistakes you can find are more than welcome to be pointed out!  
Second-This is my first writing work like, ever, so I'm still trying to get the hang of it!  
Last but not least- I literally know shit about American football OR cheerleading, I'm doing online research and trying my best to make it as accurate as possible!
> 
> Updating will depend on school shedules, but I'll try to update as regulary as possible!  
Rating may chage from T to M in the process
> 
> ENJOY!

There were very little days where Roronoa Zoro lost his patience.

“TOUCHDOWN!”

Frankly, out of all the days he could’ve handled this defeat, today was certainly not the day.

“END OF THE GAME! HANDS TOGETHER FOR THE WINNERS!”.

Pulling the helmet off his head and throwing it in the grass beneath him, the green-haired student let out a sigh and rubbed his face in frustration, smearing the dark brown paint all over his damp cheeks.  
The touchdown had granted the opponents 6 more points right before the second half had ended, making them the winners of this game. One half of the crowd cheered, while the other half just stared at their own team in disappointment.

“Yo, big man. You okay?” Ace came from behind him, now also carrying the helmet under his arm. Again, Zoro let out a sigh and slightly shook his head. 

“Not really. This is our third loss in a row, do you realize that?”.

Ace shrugged and leaned on Zoro’s shoulder, watching the other team receive their reward.  
“Eh, I don’t really count ‘em. You know I’m just in it for the fun.”.  
Zoro rolled his eyes at the carelessness of his best friend. God, did he sometimes wish he had the same mindset as Ace had. 

Portgas D. Ace was twenty years old, and had been Zoro’s best friend since kindergarten.  
Ace simply had this extraordinary personality everyone seemed to like, save for the teachers who could only grow annoyed with him.  
He was also extremely popular with the ladies.  
Well, what was not to like about Ace anyway? His rebellious nature, the same Brazilian roots his brother Luffy possessed, his face and shoulders covered in freckles and a smile everyone would literally die for.

Zoro, who was only 1 year older, was more laid back. He didn’t like the attention as much as Ace did, but also didn’t hate it. Especially whenever he scored during his games of American football. The crowd cheering, cheerleaders chanting, adrenaline rushing through his veins while his team entirely embraces him in gratitude for scoring. That, he did love.

Unlike Ace’s Brazilian roots, Zoro’s blood shared both Japanese and American genes. His father had moved here from Japan after losing his heart to an American exchange student, that being his mother. However, when Zoro moved out at the age of eighteen, both of his parents went back to Japan, only returning during the holidays or special occasions.  
He had to admit he sometimes missed both his mother and father, but the taste of freedom was appealing, and he could not say he didn’t like standing on his own, steady feet.

Due to his father’s genes, Zoro did have a bit of an eastern look, not to mention he was born with lovely, very dark brown hair. Zoro, being the rebellious child he was at the age of 16, quickly grew bored of that though, deciding to go and bleach his hair before dying it a bright, minty green. His absolute favorite. It was also a nice excuse to go visit his hairdresser Bon every two months, a former friend of his father. The man was a bit flamboyant, but he was lovely and always had nice stories to tell about his dad, so Zoro gladly went and listened.

Zoro and Ace practically knew everything about each other. They shared an apartment together, meaning they basically shared their life together. Zoro often witnessed Ace bringing home a girl from a party, and what he loved so much about living with Ace, is that there never were awkward conversations between them. Ace would simply tell Zoro he brought home someone and would even introduce her from time to time.  
Of course, there were secrets Ace knew about Zoro as well.

For example, the fact that Zoro would never bring a girl back to their apartment.

Because Ace was very aware that Zoro was, in fact, into men. 

Zoro had come out to Ace on a simple, calm night. They were watching Kitchen Nightmares before the green haired man suddenly spoke up.

“Yo, Ace. There’s something you might wanna know.”.

The younger man had looked up and stared at Zoro in confusion.

“I’m gay.”.

After a long, nerve wrecking silence, Ace lifted a brow.

“No fucking way, that’s awesome!”.

He had hugged Zoro, much to the older man’s relief.

“Does that mean I have a gay best friend now? Oh my god, the ladies at school will LOVE THIS!”.

Zoro looked up and just glared at his friend in disbelief, causing Ace to start laughing loudly. 

“I’m just kidding man.” He said as he embraced his friend once more. “I’m so glad you’re finally figuring things out”.

Ever since then, Ace has been teasing Zoro about his sexuality discretely, because Zoro wasn’t one to go and show off everything that happened in his personal life. Ace knew that, and so it stayed between the both of them.

That was, until he came along.

“Zoro.” Ace spoke, Zoro snapping from his train of thoughts while they were making their way to the showers after the game.

“What is it?”.

The raven haired man nodded towards the now almost empty tribunes, one of them currently occupied by the school’s cheerleaders doing the necessary stretches after their performance. Zoro’s eyes followed the direction Ace showed him.

“Isn’t that the new cheerleader. You know, the French one?”

Zoro’s eyes were still going over the girls, until they fell on the blonde young-man wearing a pair of knee height shorts and a tank top with a print much similar like the female cheerleaders.

“So it IS a guy!” Ace said excitedly as he nudged Zoro with his elbow. “And he’s CUTE! He’s totally your type isn’t he-…”.

Everything else Ace said became one big blur, and so became the scenery around them. All Zoro saw was the man, sitting in a split, stretching his upper body entirely over his stretched out leg. His blonde hair graciously falling over his eyes as he leaned forward and came to sit back up again.  
Clearly feeling the stare, the blonde turned his head, one blue eye staring back into Zoro’s dark ones, the other covered by that lovely, honey-like coloured hair. The moment their eyes met, Zoro’s heart stopped beating. The sudden beating of his heart became almost erratic and his pupils dilated. This wasn’t good, this wasn’t good at all. 

This is the story of how Roronoa Zoro’s world got turned upside down, by doing nothing more than falling in love with a cheerleader he did not know, nor had ever seen.


	2. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A first meeting doesn't always go as planned. Luckily there's always the second one to make up for it, isn't there?

It had been two days since Zoro had caught a glimpse of the blonde, male cheerleader.

And he was slowly losing it.

Thinking about the blonde simply got him angry, which was very confusing because at the same time he wanted to do nothing more than go up to him and ask for his name.

Then what was holding him back?

With a growl, Zoro closed his locker and leaned against it, letting the back of his head fall against the cold metal.

“Who pissed in your breakfast this morning?”.

Ah, Nami. The redheaded witch who both studied geography and participated as a cheerleader as well.  
Zoro sighed at the annoying sound of her voice.

“Not sure. Might be that dumb new cheerleader.” He replied honestly.

Nami didn’t even seem to be paying attention as she was busy texting one of her classmates.

“Dumb new…- You mean Sanji?”.

Zoro’s eyes shot up. “Sanji?”.

Nami’s interest grew at Zoro’s reaction. She slowly put her phone away as she fixated her gaze on Zoro and lifted one of her brows. A sly grin graced her evil face.

“Yeah, Sanji. What’s with him?”.

Zoro felt stupid for giving away too much. Nami didn’t know about Zoro’s sexuality, but the witch was smart and could easily read Zoro’s features, much like now when he simply couldn’t find a reply.

“Haven’t you met him yet?” she continued, leaning against the locker behind her. Zoro shook his head, obviously trying to hide how interested he was in what the redhead had to say.

“He just arrived here from France. A culinary student, as well as the new head of the cheerleader team. His flexibility goes beyond imagination, really.”.

Zoro tried not to think too much about that.

“You’d be surprised if you’d hear him speak as well. His English is amazing.” Nami beamed, clearly excited about the blonde young-man being their new team leader.

“Tchk, after all he’s just a guy swinging with pompom’s, isn’t he? I don’t understand what you’re getting so excited about.” Zoro said, as bored as he could.

“May I remind you that it was you who asked about him? You should’ve seen your face when I mentioned his name.” Nami scoffed. “Now get to your classes, we all know it takes some time for you to get there without you getting lost.”.

Zoro, already on his way, lazily waved his hand as he disappeared in the crowded hallway.  
Thinking about his reaction towards Nami, Zoro realized he should’ve kept his cool more instead of immediately losing it whenever the blonde cheerleader got mentioned. He had only seen him once, for god’s sake! Keep it together!

The impact of running into someone shook Zoro from his thoughts.

“Ah, merde! Watch where you’re going, shithead!”.

The two books the blonde was holding were laying on the floor, and Zoro wanted to pick them up, but simply found himself frozen once more.

Out of all scenarios their first talk could’ve taken place in, Zoro just chose the scenario to run into the blonde he had developed a crush on.

“Uh…” Zoro just dumbly stood there in the middle of the hallway, watching Sanji pick up the books he knocked out of his hands. By the time he wanted to react, Sanji had already gotten up and blew the air out of his one eye. He stared at Zoro with the same intensity he had a few days earlier, and the green haired man might have been staring a bit too long, because eventually the blonde gave him a small push with his shoulder as he walked past.

“At least an apology would have been nice, asshole.”.

He was gone before Zoro could process what had happened. He turned around as he watched the blond cheerleader go, and what a sight it was. He didn’t intend to stare, but couldn’t help himself either as he watched that blonde head of hair follow every swift movement his body made, like the light, barely noticeable sway of his slightly too feminine hips. He was wearing a white button up shirt and had thrown on some light blue jeans that accentuated his long, long legs that never seemed to come to an end. Before he completely disappeared out of sight, Zoro’s eyes went over Sanji’s back. His back was held so straight, it made him remember Nami’s words of Sanji being a culinary student. Had he been a waiter before? He would make on hell of a hot waiter-

Zoro cut himself off when the blonde had completely disappeared. What was he doing? He’s already studying the blonde from head to toe, but can’t even start a normal conversation?  
Sighing in frustration, Zoro strolled toward his classes, already waiting for this day to be over so he could crawl under a rock and never come out again.

“A good few hours of working out should do the trick.” Ace said as the duo made their way towards the same gym both the football team and the cheerleader team did their trainings. “You’ve been walking around all day as if you’ve got something stuck up your ass. Are you okay?” Ace asked, genuinely concerned about his green-haired friend. Zoro simply nodded, not wanting to tell Ace about his big ass crush yet. It was still too early for that.  
Somewhere deep inside, Zoro hoped it would just fade, if he was being completely honest. He did not like feeling this way, nor did he like the facts that Ace would probably just tease him even more than he did already. 

"My weights are still in the room next door." Zoro said to Ace, already going through the door. "You go and start already, be right back.".

Before Ace could reply, Zoro had already entered cheerleader territory, where his weights were being stored.

The cheerleaders sat there, discussing next week's choreography when the football player entered, ,ot even bothering to look up.

All eyes now on Zoro, the green haired man entered unfocused, only wanting to come and get his weights.  
Sanji kept silent. He had immediately recognized the asshole from earlier in the hallway. Impolite, dumb, and why on earth was his hair green?

Zoro seemed to feel their stares when he turned around and glared at the group of cheerleaders. 

"What are you all looking at?".

When no one seemed to reply, Sanji got up.

"Is that your way of talking to these ladies?". He made his way towards Zoro, glaring at him from underneath those thin, blonde eyelashes.

Zoro froze at hearing that voice again, this time speaking actual full sentences. Nami was right, his English was surprisingly good. He heard the French undertones, but his accent itself leaned more towards something like British. And Zoro loved it.

However, Sanji didn't seem to like Zoro's silent reaction so much, as he kept on walking until he was face to face with the football player, poking a finger to the man's broad chest.

"Apologize. And thank them for their support at the game today.".

Zoro swallowed and glared at the male cheerleader in front of him. He couldn't be serious, right?

"What am I supposed to feel sorry for then?".

The blonde jerked back a bit, eyes widening in shock at Zoro's reply.  
What a drama queen.

"They cheered for your dumbass team!".

Zoro shrugged. "They're cheerleaders. Ain't they supposed to be doing that?".

Sanji's strange curly eyebrow slightly descended until just above his eye, gracing his face with an unmistakable offended frown. Zoro took the opportunity to study the blondes face from up close without being too obvious. The first thing he felt drawn to were those gorgeous blue eyes. It was unlike any blue Zoro had ever seen, as if his eyes were a mythical sea that could be inhabited by every living sea creature in the world.  
It was a truly, magical sort of blue, without trying to sound too cliché.  
However, with one eye being covered by that lovely curtain of honey-colored locks, only one eye was visible.  
Zoro's eyes drifted lower, going over the small bridge of Sanji's nose, which was ever, ever, ever so lightly covered in light specks of freckles. Then Zoro's eyes found that foul, French mouth of Sanji's. That thick lower lip, accentuated by the slightly darker color of his thin upper lip. Zoro noticed the slight stubble of a mustache right under his nose, matching the lovely, small goatee the blonde was sporting.  
He smelled like cologne, fresh, delicious food and menthol cigarettes. Did he smoke?

God, Sanji was gorgeous.

The green haired man must have been staring too long, because Sanji shifted and lifted the brow that had been frowning just a second ago.  
"Disrespect those cheerleaders like that once more and I will literally snap your back. You heard me, asshole?".

No matter how much Zoro seemed to like the new cheerleader, his words and extravagant behavior were getting on his nerves. So, Zoro did what he usually was best at: speaking without thinking.

"You talk just like one of those pompon-waving chicks. You sure you're a guy?".

Not even getting the time to reconsider his words, a jolt of pain shot through the broader man’s entire body as a kick literally swept him off his feet, making him land on the ground with a loud thud. 

"Fuck!".

"You sure talk a lot for a football player who gets to eat the ground because of a cheerleader's kick. Don't underestimate me, asshole.".

Zoro got up, the side of his hip still burning with pain because of the impact of his fall. He straightened himself up, brushed the dust of his right shoulder and let out a frustrated huff.

"Zoro! So you finally met Sanji!" came Nami's voice from the door. She walked up to the pair that was still standing way too close.

"I don't know if it's an important detail, but your little friend here just literally kicked me to the ground!" Zoro said, his eyes falling on Sanji again at the end of his sentence. The blonde huffed.

"Nami, chèrie, I promise you he was asking for it. He insulted you and every one of these lovely cheerleaders, even after your hard work today!”.  
After his rant, Sanji fell silent as he seemed to realize something.

Wait, this is the Zoro everyone is talking about?".

The girls giggled, and Nami nodded with a sigh. 

"Yes, Sanji. This is Zoro. Head of the football team.".

"But I thought Zoro was the guy with the black hair and freckles?".

"Ah, no. That's Ace. They're roommates.".

Sanji sighed, and after an uncomfortable silence, eventually held out his hand.

"Let's just, do this over, shall we? I'm Sanji Bertrand, new head of the cheerleader team. I'm from France, before you start laughing at my shitty accent.".

But Zoro didn't laugh at the shitty accent. All he wanted was to hear more. He wanted the man to keep and keep talking only so he could listen to that sweet, raspy voice. 

Now taking the man’s smaller hand in his, Zoro gave it a firm shake. It was static, electricity running along Zoro's spine and the same, addicting adrenaline running through his veins when he felt how soft Sanji's hands were.

"I'm Zoro." he tried to bring out normally, which seemed to work. So far, so good.

"Oh, I've heard stories about you and your many victories in American football Roronoa Zoro. Nice to finally meet you.".

It came out so casually, he could've spoken to the pope in that same tone, but the way Zoro's name rolled off that foul tongue of his made Zoro's grip on Sanji's hand tighten. He couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand how the back of Sanji's tongue was pressed against the roof of his mouth, only to accentuate every French 'R' that could be pronounced in Zoro's full name.  
It was terrible.  
Deliciously terrible.

Jerking his hand away, Zoro nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. Nice to meet you too. Well, Ace is waiting for me, got to go.".

Immediately making his way towards the door, Vivi called after Zoro.

"Tell Ace hi from us!". 

Zoro simply lifted his hand in acknowledgement before disappearing out of sight, forgetting about the weights he was there for in the first place.

Sanji just stood there dumbstruck. Was it his accent that scared the man away?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: 'Merde' is the literal French word for 'shit' :-)  
The support I got on the first chapter has made me the happiest person on earth. This silly au I had in my head became an actual story and my heart can't take all the sweet words you guys have to say about it! Don't forget to leave some kudo's or even a comment! Pointing out any spelling or grammar mistakes is so highly appreciated as English is, as repeated, NOT my first language!  
Lots of lots of love <3


	3. Conversation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro makes an attempt to actually talk to Sanji, and soon realizes Sanji's frustrated behavior doesn't just come from nothing.

“Where on earth have you been? You’ve been in there for a solid ten minutes.” Ace said when Zoro entered the gym, his head throbbing in frustration. 

“It’s those fucking cheerleaders. Won’t give me a fucking break.” Zoro said, furiously started his lifting under Ace’s concerned look.

“Zoro, this looks like more than just a cheerleader problem.”.  
At those words, Zoro slowed down, still staring at himself in the mirror in front of him.

“Oh believe me, it is a cheerleader problem.” He replied, and followed with a barely audible mumble: “A blond one.”.

Ace didn’t seem to hear the end to Zoro’s sentence, as he too continued lifting. This was exactly what Zoro needed. Working out with Ace by his side was relaxing, and often earned him some funny stories and a good few laughs.  
\---------------  
“So, did you get a chance to talk to that new cheerleader yet?” Ace simply asked at the end of their workout, lifting a curious brow. “Heard he’s quite the deal.”. 

Only mentioning Sanji got Zoro’s temples throbbing again. “He’s an absolute pain in the ass.” He replied.

“I thought that’s exactly what you wanted from him?”.

Zoro was caught off guard by that, throwing his towel straight into Ace’s face as they made for the shower. Ace laughed loudly and the green haired man huffed, hoping his friend didn’t notice the very slight tint of pink that graced the tip of his ears.

“I was kidding, asshole. Don’t get all worked up over it! Seriously though, he can’t be that bad, right?” the younger man asked, separating from Zoro as he entered a shower cabin. Zoro took the one next doors, shrugging while he got undressed.

“He’s like a feisty kitten. I swear to God.” Zoro said, turning on the shower to start washing.

“Like, a scratching, angry kitten?” Ace replied, and Zoro swore he could hear the smile in his voice.

“Yeah, exactly. Dumb blond kitten.”.

“How about this kitten shoves his foot up your fucking ass, you disgusting second-rate football player?”.

Both men froze in their shower as they heard a third cabin open and Sanji stepping inside of it.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” Sanji’s voice echoed through the cabin when no reply came.

When Sanji’s shower started running, Ace finally broke the silence, saving Zoro from an awkward excuse.

“Oh my God you’re the cheerleader Zoro has been talking about!”.

No, wait. All Ace did was making the conversation even more awkward then it already was. 

“The French one, right? I’ve heard all about you!”.

Ace, shut the fuck up.

“Oh, have you? Did your green friend tell you about me, then?”.

Ace, I swear to God, dare reply to him and…

“Yeah, he has!”.

“Okay you two, would you just cut it out? I’m already busy handling one idiot at a time. Two at once is a little bit too much for me.” Zoro said as he turned off the shower and got dressed. It wasn’t long before Sanji came out as well, hair wet and tousled, his face unamused and stoic.

“You having fun talking behind my back like that?”.

Zoro huffed and grabbed his towel to dry his hair once more. “Feeling threatened, blondie?”.

He would’ve sworn he didn’t see it coming when Sanji grabbed him by his collar and pressed him up against a locker. Of course, Zoro could’ve overpowered him, having way more strength in his arms than the blonde had, but once again, Zoro found himself frozen.

“If I catch you talking about me the way you did once more, I swear on that green head of yours you WILL regret it. Compris?”.

Zoro didn’t quite know what did it to him. The fact that Sanji had him pressed up against a locker, feeling his breath on his lips as he spoke, or that French accent again as he pronounced that last word. Zoro couldn’t help himself, whether it was the rough physical treatment, or Sanji’s unintentionally sexy accent, but a smile crept up the green-haired man’s face. 

“Compris.” Zoro repeated. He assumed it meant “Understood”.

“Whoa ladies, I love getting all frisky in public as much as the next person, but save it for the bedroom, will ya?”.

Both men turned their heads towards Ace, leaving his shower with nothing more than a white towel around his waist.

Sanji let go of Zoro with a sigh. “I’m going home. I’m too tired to deal with this kind of shit anyway.”.

With that, Sanji grabbed a hold of his bag and left the building.  
Zoro rubbed his face in frustration and tiredness. Good job, Roronoa. That’s exactly how you’re going to win a man’s heart.

“Zoro, I think you might wanna go after him.”.

“Why would I do that? Didn’t you hear him? He wants to be left alone.”.

Ace was this close to facepalming.

“You’re a dumbass and what he needs right now is someone to talk to. He’s literally the new guy, maybe you should just get to know him and, you know… Go easy on him?”.

Zoro now grabbed his bag as well, turning to Ace right before he left. 

“First of all, you’re the one who made him uncomfortable with the whole ‘getting frisky’ thing. Second of all: Good, I’m going after him but you’ll have to come and look for me in case he murders me in the dark of the night.”.

Ace stifled a laugh. “Will do, now get going. I’ll stop by Marco so I’ll be home half an hour later or so. Don’t wait for me.”. 

With a nod, Zoro left the building, feeling the cool air envelop his warm form as his eye caught the cheerleaders shadow in the distance. It was dark and the streetlights were the only source of light on the streets next to the campus.

Okay, here goes nothing.

“Oi, wait up.”.

Sanji froze, but didn’t turn immediately. As if he had expected Zoro to come after him. It wasn’t long before the green haired man had caught up with him.

“If you’re here to mock me some more, I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you. I’m really, really not in the mood.” Sanji said as he finally regained his step and kept walking with Zoro now next to him.

“That’s not what I’m here for. I followed you because you seemed upset earlier.”.

Now, Sanji finally looked at Zoro, his one eye still covered by his golden bangs.  
“You followed me because I seemed upset, and?”.

Zoro just stared dumbly. Why did he follow him anyway? Since when did he care?  
Sanji sighed and let out a disappointed chuckle.

“Here I was hoping you were actually a decent guy.”.

Zoro wasn’t one to get angry easily, but the blond was really pushing his buttons. He did follow him, didn’t he? Why exactly, he didn’t really know. Because Ace had told him to? Or because he simply really, really liked the man?  
Both reasons were equally dumb, and Zoro once more sighed.

“I am a decent guy. You’re new and I got worried I was a little too hard on you.” He eventually said, content with the reply he came up with. And it wasn’t even a lie.

But Sanji was having none of it.  
“Don’t go acting as if you’d form an actual threat for me. I can handle jackasses like you just fine. It’s only for me to decide whether I get upset about it or not. Now leave me alone. I really don’t need your pity.”.

Normally, Zoro would be getting defensive by now, but the man really did sound tired and if he listened closely, even a bit sad. His eyes drifting to the clinking keys in Sanji’s hand, he noticed the small miniature Eiffel Tower dangling off it.

Now, Zoro was oblivious and a bit of a dumbass, but he sure as hell wasn’t stupid when it came to reading people.

Sanji was feeling homesick.

It all made sense. His short tempered behavior and his seemingly scheduled mood swings came to be because Sanji missed his home. It made Zoro think of his father, who even missed Japan so much, he and his mother had decided to move back there now that Zoro was ready to take care of himself. Now that it finally made sense to Zoro, he decided whether or not to talk about Sanji’s birthplace.

“So, you’re from France?” he eventually spoke softly over the sound of their walking.

Sanji once more looked up at his companion, not quite understanding where the question came from. Zoro nodded towards the keys in Sanji’s hand, and the blond finally understood.

“Oh, this. Yeah, I brought it with me, from home.”. He lifted it up and studied it, before handing his bunch of keys to Zoro. The man studied the small Eiffel Tower. He had heard plenty about it, and seen many pictures, but never got the chance to travel as far as France to actually admire it from up close.

“Did you live in Paris?” Zoro asked while eyeing the souvenir. Sanji chuckled and it did things to Zoro’s heart.

“Marseille, actually. My dad owns a restaurant near the beach there. I’ve been to Paris a couple of times though. It was a 7-hour drive, but totally worth it.”.

“A restaurant near the beach? Sounds fancy.”.

Zoro gave Sanji his keys, and the smaller man actually, genuinely smiled and the corners of Zoro’s mouth turned slightly upwards at how Sanji’s eyes sparkled when speaking about his father’s restaurant. It was quite the sight, seeing Sanji so excited just because Zoro had asked him about his personal life.

“The Baratie has like three Michelin stars, it’s quite the big deal. I used to work there on weekends when I was still studying in France.”.

Zoro frowned. “Then why did you leave?”.

Sanji’s eyes focused back on the streets as a dark cloud seemed to come to drift over his head once again.

“I’ve heard such good things about this school’s culinary program, my decision was quickly made. Also, the American dream, am I right?”. Sanji let out a chuckle at his own, sad joke. “When Zeff gave me the chance to expand my courses in America, I’d never thought I’d miss home this much.”.

“Zeff, is he your father?”.

Sanji nodded. “I was adopted, but yeah, to me he’s my father. It depends on the situation whether I call him dad or just by his name, though. It varies.” Sanji smiles.

Zoro did not want to go and ask questions about Sanji’s adoption. He was glad the blond had already opened up about the place he called home, so that was that.”.

The duo silently made their way to the dark streets.

“What about you? You don’t look so American yourself.” Sanji eventually said, a hint of curiosity hidden in his one visible eye. Zoro, startled by Sanji’s question, looked up and lifted a brow before realizing what the cheerleader meant. 

“Oh, right. My dad is Japanese.”.

“That I noticed. And does your dad happen to have green hair as well? Quite the extraordinairy shade.” Sanji asked, stifling a laugh. Zoro shook his head and gave the other man a slight push with his shoulder.

“Fuck you, and no, he doesn’t. He always used to call it ‘marimo’. It’s embarrassing, really.”.

Sanji let out the laugh he had been trying to stifle before. “Marimo! Aren’t those like those kind of moss balls? That’s adorable.”.

Earning a playful punch in the gut, Sanji had to try and calm down his laughter before finally reaching his apartment and turning to Zoro, causing the duo to stop their walking.

“I maybe should apologize for being a bit of an asshole earlier today. You’re not as bad as I’d thought you’d be.” Sanji said, not quite looking into Zoro’s eyes as he nervously fumbled with his keys.

“S’all good. Hey, you said you worked in that restaurant on weekends and stuff, right?”.

Sanji nodded confusedly. 

“Would you come over and cook for me, sometime?”.

On the outside, it sounded so casual and Zoro seemed so cool about it, but on the inside his heart was doing marathon, his blood was rushing at an unnatural speed and adrenaline shot through his veins.

“I’d love to.” was all Sanji replied before giving Zoro one of those killer-smiles Zoro could not help but fall in love with even more. He wanted to kiss him. He wanted to caress those soft lips with his own so badly it hurt, but he had to remind himself that he had only known the man for about half a week, and he wasn’t even sure Sanji was into men.

“Give me your phone, will you?”.

Sanji’s voice made Zoro snap from his thoughts.

“Huh?”.

“If you want me to come and cook for you, I’d better have your number, don’t I? Don’t want to burst into your place without announcing, ya know.”.

“Ah, right.”.

After unlocking his phone and handing it to Sanji, the other man quickly put his number in there, and gave it back to Zoro.

“Now, send me a message.”.

Zoro nodded, already typing something out as Sanji spoke. After a solid minute, Sanji’s phone gave a ring, and the blond opened the received message that said nothing more than a cowboy emoji.

“Seriously…” Sanji began. He smiled and put his phone away. “Does this weekend fit for you? I might have something in mind to make you.”.

Zoro shrugged. “I’ll make time if that’s what it takes.”.

Sanji nodded, and waved before quickly disappearing into his apartment that laid about two blocks from Zoro’s.  
Alone once again, Zoro began walking back to his own apartment, his heart heavily beating in his chest and letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in. It wasn’t long before his own phone made a notification sound and his eyes rapidly went over the message that said:

‘Bonne nuit, Marimo.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was harder than I expected it to be, but I wrote chapter 2 and 3 together and eventually split it in 2 pieces. This sheds some light on Sanji's backstory and his new friendship with Zoro. The support I'm recieving for this story really has me beaming and inspires me to write more!  
As always: Correcting mistakes is appreciated!  
Lots lots and lots of love!


	4. Unison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro wanted to keep his crush secret, but Ace isn't oblivious.  
Also, the second game of the week takes place, and Zoro is feeling motivated for a whole different reason than usual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS.WAS.SUCH A SLOW CHAPTER!  
I've been working pretty hard the last few days so this chapter is kind of rusty, but things will get better!  
I'm getting so caught up in this story, and I've gotten some amazing ideas for the upcomming chapters. Stick with me, it'll get better!  
As for now... ENJOY!  
<3

It was Friday, and the game Zoro had to play started at 4, which meant he still had some free time. He also had only one class that lasted until 10am, so he could head back to the apartment before the game started. The blond was nowhere to be seen, or Zoro had just not ran into him at least. Their talk a few days ago had clarified some things about Sanji’s past in France. For example, how much he loved Paris, and the restaurant in Marseille where his father works.  
Zoro had been thinking about it. More than he should.

“Oi, Zoro. Ready for the game today?” Ace greeted him when Zoro entered the apartment. The green haired man threw his bag on the sofa where Ace sat and went to grab a drink out of the fridge.

“Yeah, guess I am.”.

But he didn’t seem ready. He didn’t seem ready at all.

“Zoro, you’re kinda bad at lying. Like, not to sound like a grandma or anything but you’ve barely been eating lately. And hell if I know but you’re not sleeping a lot either.”.

Ace was right. This game of hide and seek was kinda starting to influence Zoro’s behavior. Not telling Ace about his crush might’ve been the best decision, but now, ever since that talk, Zoro was actually getting to know Sanji, and there was something blooming in his chest every time he saw him. He hated it, he absolutely hated how he had lost his composure ever since that blond cheerleader barged into his life and put everything upside down. He was falling in love with Sanji, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for Ace to know.

“I’m just slightly stressed. Stop worrying.”.

“20 years of knowing each other and you still believe you can get away with the excuse of ‘being stressed’? You think I’ve never seen you actually stressed before?”.

Zoro looked as if he was caught red handed, while Ace simply looked over the sofa to meet Zoro’s gaze. His brows were furrowed, and he looked concerned about his best friend.

“This is different, Zoro. You might not notice it yourself but to me it looks like it has something to do with that guy from the cheerleader team. What was his name? Sandy?”.

“Sanji. It’s Sanji.”. And without further thinking, Zoro had just unconsciously confirmed that his strange behavior had indeed something to do with the male cheerleader.

“Yeah, Sanji. What’s with him?” Ace asked, and moved so Zoro could come and sit next to him.

“He has nothing to do with this, Ace. Can’t we just watch something before the game starts?” Zoro complained, and turned his eyes on the screen.

But Ace was having none of Zoro’s bullshit, and grabbed the remote to turn off the television, receiving a curse and a punch in the gut from Zoro.

“I’m gonna be honest with you, greenie.” Ace said. “The way I see it, your change of behavior ever since he’s around can only mean two things.”.

This, however, caught Zoro’s attention. 

“Well? Spit out your theories, oh great professor Ace.”.

The raven haired man grinned, and crossed his legs.

“Either you just hate the guy so fucking much you can’t stand having him around…”.

“Sounds fair.” Zoro interrupted.

“OR…”. Ace’s grin became a genuine smile.

“You’re absolutely smitten with him.”.

Zoro could do nothing more but panic. Ace was spot on. And the problem was that he wasn’t just right about one of the two things, they were both as accurate as they could be. Fuck, Zoro couldn’t stand Sanji. He wanted to punch the man in his French face and tell him to shut that foul mouth of his.  
But Zoro also wanted to kiss that face. He wanted to caress those soft looking lips, let his calloused hand slide through those golden, silk looking locks the man possessed. He wanted to kiss that neck, leave no spot of that ivory, light skin unmarked as he claimed the blond for himself. He wanted to make Sanji smile. He wanted to make him happy.

Zoro wanted to hate Sanji so bad, but the urge to love him was bigger.

Ace must’ve noticed Zoro’s reaction, the smile on his face disappearing quite quickly as he sensed the change of atmosphere.

“Oi Zoro, since when did we stop talking about these kind of things?”. 

He sounded worried, almost sad, even.

Zoro sighed and cupped his own face with both his hands.

“It’s not you, Ace. I’m just being stupid. All of this will pass eventually.”.

“Hey.” Ace interrupted. “Shit like this doesn’t just pass, you know that.”.

A silence followed.

“Okay, so I need you to be fully honest with me now, can you do that? From bud to bud.”.

Zoro nodded.

“Do you genuinely think you might like Sanji?”.

This time it took a while, but again, Zoro nodded.

The smile from before was back on Ace’s face, and he gave Zoro an encouraging thump on his shoulder before pulling him in a hug, much like he had done the night Zoro had come out to him.  
\---------------

It was around 2PM when Zoro received a phone call. His stomach twisted when the caller-ID ‘shit-cook’ appeared on his screen.

“Zoro speaking.”.

“Is that how you always pick up your phone? That’s lame.” The blond spoke through the phone, and even though Zoro wanted to snap at the remark, he could not help but smile as he replied:

“Does ‘bonjour’ sound better to you then, shitface? Why’re you calling anyway?”.

A chuckle was heard before Sanji spoke again.

“My apartment seems to have some sort of water issues. I was about to go shower at the campus before I realized all these stinking football players will be roaming around there. Mind if I come and use your shower?”. 

“Depends.” Zoro replied. “Ace and I are both stinking football players as well, aren’t we?”.

Sanji scoffed. “Two stinky bastards still beats eleven stinky bastards. Change my mind.”.

Zoro looked over at Ace who stood in the kitchen, eagerly eating a bowl of cereal. 

“Blondie needs a shower. Mind if he uses ours?”.

Ace’s eyes widened before he playfully wiggled his brow at Zoro.

God, he was already regretting telling Ace about it.

“You better come over now though. 2 hours left before we start.”.

“Bon, I’ll be on my way. Tell Ace thanks.”.

With that, Sanji hung up, and as soon as Ace heard Zoro put down his phone, he spoke.

“For someone who’s so intoxicated by him, you’re hiding it pretty well.”.

Zoro shrugged. “I prefer to keep it that way as well, for now. Got it?”.

Ace zipped his mouth and quickly finished his meal.

\------------  
Half an hour later, Sanji found himself under a nice, clean shower, and Zoro was sitting in the living room, trying to keep his calm at all costs. Ace sat next to him, cleaning his football helmet.

“Luffy said he’s coming to watch today, and he’s gonna bring the entire squad.” Ace said with a smile, like always whenever he spoke of his younger brother. He knew of Luffy’s group of friends, especially because they were his friends as well. They were different, a bit strange, and Zoro loved them all to pieces. They often hung out on weekends and holidays. It even had become a routine to celebrate New-Year’s Eve together. The football player couldn’t help but always look forward to spending time with those idiots.

“I’m glad they’re coming to watch. Maybe we can invite them over tonight.” Zoro proposed. Ace nodded enthusiastically and put his helmet next to the sport bag lying on the table. 

“You know, maybe you should invite him too.” Ace said, nodding towards the bathroom door where the sound of running water could be heard.

“He doesn’t even know anyone but Nami and I. I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”.

Ace shrugged and went to sit down next to Zoro again.

“Think about it: If he likes these people, you’ll actually have an excuse to hang out with him more.”.

“I don’t need any excuses to hang out with anyone.” Zoro scoffed.

Ace laughed, and both looked up when the water stopped running and the bathroom door opened.

“Where do you idiots hide your towels?”.  
Ace was the first one to get up, knowing Zoro would probably just mess things up seeing Sanji in nothing more than a hand towel. He knew Zoro too well, and that wasn’t always a good thing.

Sanji, finally all dried and dressed up, came out of the bathroom after a while and grabbed his bag.

“Thanks, I owe you two. We probably should be going.”.

The pair nodded, and joined Sanji in his walk to the campus.

“Isn’t this your first performance today?” Ace asked, and Sanji nodded.

“Didn’t really get the chance last time. It was my second day here. I wasn’t up to date with the choreography.”.

Zoro chuckled. “Choreography? You mean the ‘leg leg leg pompon swingy whooo’ thing? Is that a choreography?”.

Sanji scowled. “How about I shove my pompon up your ass and these leggy’s fucking kick you in the guts? See if it’ll still be funny.”.

Ace laughed out loud as the two bickered. Man, Zoro was absolutely into Sanji.

After a five-minute walk, music and cheering could already be heard from afar. It made Zoro’s blood pump and a smile crept to his face. He felt like an animal, ready to kick their opponent’s asses.

“Zoro’s in his zone already. Look at that grin.” Ace said to Sanji, and the blond turned to look at Zoro, who just stared back in confusion.

“Am not!” Zoro said. “I’m just feeling this game already, don’t get me out of it.”.  
\------------------------------  
Zoro was definitely not feeling the game anymore. He was feeling something entirely different pooling in the pit of his stomach. They had just come out on the field, and Zoro’s mind had gone blank at seeing the cheerleaders doing there jumps in perfect unison.  
Sanji, being the only male in the entire squad, was constantly, subtly the center of attention. Wearing his blue and white spandex cheer top that said ‘Grand Line College’ had a similar pattern like the girls wore, and the knee-height shorts. Drums thudded loudly, music was playing and the entire crowd was cheering for the football players. 

But, once again, just like that first time, all Zoro saw was Sanji. 

And instead of sitting on the benches like last time, Sanji was actually participating in the stunting and dancing. He was absolutely enjoying himself. Sanji was a base, meaning he was one to mainly stay at ground level and lift or even throw the flyers. Nami was a flyer, and fly she did. She perfectly balanced on Sanji’s one hand, spreading her arms and excitedly shaking her pompons in sync with the upbeat music that was blasting through the speakers. Sanji let Nami fall back in his arms and placed her with both feet on the ground, only for her to be thrown up in the air again and do a perfect mid-air spin, landing on both of her feet perfectly fine. As if on cue, all of the fifteen cheerleaders went to stand in their positions, and chanted in unison:  
"WE ARE BLUE AND WE ARE WHITE  
GLC WILL WIN THIS FIGHT  
HOLD’ EM DOWN AND PUSH EM BACK  
ONE, TWO, QUARTERBACK"

Everything disappeared, and Zoro could only look at Sanji, who was smiling down at him, pompons spread wide and legs slightly parted, his breathing heavy. It was like a dream, a big cliché, sappy dream where the cheerleader and the football player were lovingly looking at each other.  
Zoro had never been so determined to win a game, and win he did.

After about three hours, it was Zoro who made the final score, earning today’s win for his own team.

“GRAND LINE COLLEGE WINS IT’S PRIZE ONCE AGAIN!” the narrator yelled. Everyone was yelling, cheering, some even crying, but Zoro didn’t mind.

He didn’t mind it either when the blond cheerleader had jumped onto him even before his own team could, embracing the green haired man in a grateful hug while he said in that low, baritone voice: 

“You totally earned that meal I owe you. Is Saturday okay with you?”


	5. Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanji comes over to cook for Zoro, and things run out of hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having exams so writing chapters is going slow and in small small pieces. Stick with me a little longer, it'll get better!
> 
> There will be some spelling and grammar mistakes, my apologies!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support I've already gotten on my very first fanfiction like, ever? It makes me so so happy writing this and knowing people enjoy it! I have some fun things in mind for the upcoming chapters so stay updated! <3

“Okay, Zoro! Your turn!” Luffy shouted from across the room. The whole group was sitting on the ground around the coffee table that stood full of snacks and drinks. “Truth or dare?”.  
It was such a cliché scenario, and Zoro could not help but think about the possible outcome his answer could have.

“I’m gonna go with truth.”. 

Playing safe, so unlike him.

“Yosh! I know a good question!” Ussop shouted, sticking his finger in the air proudly. He leaned sideward and started whispering in Luffy’s ear, and Nami immediately came closer so she could listen with them. An evil smile graced her face as she heard the question Ussop was about to ask. 

“That’s a good one, Ussop. Though I do want to dive a bit deeper.”.

She laid her eyes on Zoro, and everyone slowly followed her gaze. The poor green haired man just sat there, watching their actions with a confused expression.

“Oi, Luffy should be asking the question. Not the witch, goddammit.”.

Sanji, who was sitting next to him, slammed his elbow in his ribs.

“Watch your words while talking to Nami, idiot.”.

Luffy shrugged and smiled innocently. “I don’t mind Nami asking. I’m curious as well.”.

Zoro sighed. So typical for Nami to try and spice things up. The redhead sat up straight and slightly cocked her head. The room was so suddenly full of tension and curiosity. 

Roronoa Zoro wasn’t scared much, but hell, if his heart wasn’t going at a speed of 200 right now…

“Is there someone you currently like?”.

A relieved sigh escaped Zoro’s mouth when he didn’t hear Sanji’s name in the question, but the relief didn’t last long when he realized what Nami had just asked. His eyes widened and breath got caught in his throat. That damned witch was going to pay for this.

“Oh! That’s a good one!” Ace shouted from the kitchen from where he was collecting some more drinks.

The green haired man growled. He was going to murder Ace.

“Anyone decided where we’re going this New Year’s Eve, by the way?” Zoro asked, sipping his drink and hoping everyone would forget the bold question.

“Don’t go and change the subject Zoro.” Ussop said with a grin plastered on his face.

With a sigh, Zoro eyed his friends one by one. Their gazes were all on him, and he simply decided that being honest was going to be the easiest way.

“Good, okay, alright, you want an honest answer? Yes, there is someone I like. Happy now?”.

Everyone fell quiet at the answer. Not one living soul in that living room had expected Zoro to be so honest about something so personal. It was so unlike him. In the corner of his eyes, Zoro saw Sanji’s gaze on him, but was unable to read how the blond actually felt.

“So… Are you still gonna tell us who?” Nami prodded, a smile slowly coming onto her face.

“No.” Zoro replied. “You asked me if there was someone I liked. I replied, and that’s all there is to it. How old are you all? Twelve?”.

There was laughter, and it did relieve Zoro because that meant tension from before was gone, and the question would be long forgotten.

Though Zoro had to admit he didn’t sleep so much that night.

The day after, Zoro woke up in his bed. Ace had already cleaned the mess everyone had left behind yesterday, and Luffy, who had stayed over, was sitting on the sofa with a bowl of cereal in his hands.

“Morning.” Zoro greeted the pair, already diving into the fridge to get a bottle of water. Luffy waved in reply, eyes plastered to the television and mouth full of cereal. Ace seemed a little more talkative.

“Morning, greenie. How’d you sleep?”.

“Fine.” Zoro lied. He had barely slept at all.

The conversation was quickly interrupted by the sound of Zoro’s phone going off. A few buzzes made the pair look up at the phone on the counter. Ace, being the impolite bastard he was, immediately went to look who the text message was from

“Shit cook?” Ace asked with a confused look on his face. Suddenly realization seemed to hit him and his eyes widened.

“Holy shit! You’re te-“.

“Shh!” Zoro hissed, nodding towards the direction where Luffy was still seated.

“You’re texting Sanji?” he whispered. “I knew he had your number but you two are actually texting each other and stuff?”.

The grimace spread on Aces face and the playful wiggle of his eyebrows made him earn a punch in the gut.

“Sometimes you got to learn to shut that stupid mouth of yours. And so does your brother.”.

Zoro unlocked his phone and his heart silently jumped at the fact Sanji was texting him. What was it about? Maybe a ‘thank you’ for yesterday? Maybe he’d just forgotten something over here.

“Coming over tonight at 7.30. I’m bringing ingredients, so don’t worry about those.”.

Zoro internally facepalmed at the fact he had completely forgotten Sanji was cooking for him tonight. Fuck, he’d need to clean the apartment and make sure the kitchen was usable.  
It wasn’t long before a second text popped up.

“And for the love of God, wear something nice for once.”.

“This fucking guy…” Zoro murmured, locking his phone and rubbing his hands over his face. His mind drifted to what he had to wear when Ace came to stand next to him.

“So? What’d blondie want?”. 

The green haired football player sighed. “He’s coming over later this evening.”.

Before Ace could even gasp, Zoro had already punched the man in his lovely freckled face.

\------------------  
It was around eight, and Sanji was putting his last touches to the fresh sashimi he had just made in front of Zoro’s eyes. Zoro had watched Sanji from up close, using his kitchen as if it was his very own and cutting the pieces of fish so precisely it was almost painful to watch. His hands were skilled and careful and treated the food so delicately it made Zoro’s mouth water just by looking.  
They had just talked, Sanji mainly concentrating on his task at hand, but still keeping Zoro company by asking about his day and telling him about his. Zoro was surprised by how domestic everything was feeling. Sanji had just came in and made Zoro food while they spoke about nonsense. The moment Sanji served the sashimi to both of them, Zoro decided to open up a bottle of wine.

“Cracking open the good stuff, huh.” Sanji chuckled, filling a small cup with soy sauce. “Are you planning on getting wasted tonight, perhaps?”.

Zoro poured two glasses half-full and placed them on the table where Sanji had put the food.

“Nothing crazy.” He replied. “How about you? You know anything about wine, you croissant cultured ass?”. Zoro handed a glass to Sanji and sat down

Sanji scoffed. “Bold of you to ask a cook if he knows anything about wine.” He replied while tracing the rim of the glass with his middle finger, and finally sitting down as well. “I know tons about any kind of wine there is, bastard. Don’t get me started”.

“Alright, alright I see. Time to taste test if your cooking is as amazing as you say it is.”.

With no further comment, Zoro dived in, and Sanji slowly followed, eyeing every one of Zoro’s reactions as he tasted the food Sanji had made. His brows were furrowed as he concentrated on tasting the meal. To say the sashimi tasted amazing would be an understatement. Zoro’s father often made similar meals to these, and tasting a meal so carefully prepared entirely took Zoro back to his younger days.  
After his first piece, Zoro swallowed and looked up, and found Sanji staring back at him. The blond looked at him questioningly, even a bit nervous.

“You didn’t lie when you told me you were a good cook.” Zoro simply said, and the smile that graced Sanji’s face made his heart skip a few beats. It was sincere and so pure, and it did thing to Zoro’s heart the green haired man yet had to comprehend.

“Merci. Something told me you’d like something like this.” Sanji said, looking down and finally starting at his own meal.

Zoro sipped his wine and watched the blond eat, a smile coming to his face. Well, he was this far already, might as well bring a little flirting into this.

“If you do everything as good as this, I’m sure it’s not only your cooking I’ll like.”.

Sanji’s eyes shot up, and Zoro was a little scared he had crossed a line, until the corners of Sanji’s mouth lifted in a sly smile.

“And whatever do you mean by that?”.

Zoro shifted in his seat and shoved another piece of food into his mouth. 

“What I’m saying is that if I’d come home to food like this for the rest of my life, I’d probably never ever complain about anything ever again.”.

Sanji’s eye widened, but the playful smirk didn’t leave his face.

“Funny. You’re always insulting me and all of the sudden you’re being nice.”.

Zoro finished his last piece, and without even giving the time to chew or swallow, he spoke. “Yeah, you must’ve drugged me with these.”.

“I sure as hell didn’t drug you, and don’t speak with your mouth full. It’s disgusting.”.

Zoro cocked his head and finished his portion, watching as Sanji did the same. There was a tension hanging above them and it made Zoro’s blood pump. What was supposed to happen now?

“Hey.” Sanji suddenly spoke. “Where’s Ace, actually?”.

Zoro swallowed. Was he really planning on-?

“Uh, he’s at Marco’s. H- He was having a drink with friends.”.

Sanji nodded and stood up, startling Zoro.

He grabbed the plates and started clearing the table, leaving the two glasses on the table and even re-filling them.

“I get what you’re trying to do.” He suddenly said, leaning against the counter. Zoro stood up and looked at him in confusion. Had he seen through Zoro that easily? As if the tension wasn’t there at all, Sanji dared to move even closer, almost driving Zoro into a corner. He was so close, Zoro’s heart started beating rapidly and his breath caught in his throat. What was he planning on doing? It couldn’t be, not this fast…

“I saw the fire in your eyes when I kicked you to the ground last week. Want a rematch to see who outmatches who? After your game Friday I was pretty surprised, so I’m quite curious.”.

His face was only a few inches away, his breath tickling Zoro’s lips and thee man thought for a solid minute that Sanji was actually about to kiss him.

“Let’s spar.”.

Zoro didn’t need to be told twice. He pushed the blond in the chest with practiced ease, and watched him find his balance short after. It was this, or kissing the man senseless, and Zoro didn’t even know if that’s what he wanted. He stood back into position, and saw Sanji do the same.

“Oh we’re doing this right here, right now? I fucking knew it.” Sanji grinned.

He took of the black suit jacket he was wearing and rolled up the sleeved of his dress shirt. Zoro was distracted by the shirt that accentuated Sanji’s chest, and was surprised by the blow he received into his stomach.

“Don’t get distracted, greenie. It might be the death of you.”.

It was all Zoro heard before he received another blow on his lower back, but this time Zoro was able to react, and used all of the strength in his arms to pull Sanji with him.  
The blond landed on top of Zoro, who immediately turned them around so that he was on top.

“Your legs sure are fast, blondie.”. He leaned in slightly. “But don’t forget I’ve got the upper hand here.” Zoro said, his lips again hovering right above Sanji’s. This time, he had control over the situation and Sanji just stared at him with that challenging gaze.

“Bring it on you big green bitch.”.

It was before literally anything could happen that the door flew open and Ace stumbled into the dorm, being his usual self.

“YOOOO ZORO how did the date with that hot cheerlead-“.

In front of him was Zoro, lying on top of Sanji on the ground, both panting heavily and messed up.

“Oh, OH!” Ace suddenly said after what must’ve been the longest minute of silence ever.

“OH okay I’ll show myself to my room, then! Condoms are in the second drawer near the television, have fun you two!”.

With that, Ace disappeared out of the room and Zoro looked back at Sanji, who just stared at him horrified.

“Whatever did he mean by that?” Sanji asked, his eyes widened.

Zoro sighed and stood up, shaking his head in defeat.

“I’m not gonna make this awkward, okay? I’m gay, I like men, and Ace probably thought-“.

He cut himself off and let Sanji figure the rest out. The blonde just stared at the ground in confusion before realization hit him.

“Oh. I see.”.

Another, awkward silence fell.

“I should probably go.” Sanji eventually said, and without admitting or showing anything, Zoro’s heart felt like it shattered to pieces right there.

“That’s okay. I’m sorry.”.

Sanji grabbed his bag in silence and went to the door, before Zoro’s voice froze him once more.

“Sanji.”.

The blond turned around.

“Please, for now, would you keep this to yourself?”. 

A sincere smile graced Sanji’s face.

“Of course, don’t worry about it.”.

With that, Sanji left the apartment, and Zoro let his back slide against the door. Murdering Ace was second on his to-do list, but that could wait until the morning.

Because on the first place stood crawling in bed and reliving every single embarrassing thing he had ever done in his entire life, now also including the scenario where Ace walked in to Zoro lying on top of his crush, and eventually had to come out at the most inappropriate time.

Merde.


	6. Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ace wants to make up to Zoro, and things take an unexpected turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ABOUT 3600 WORDS?  
Well, this is a pretty big chapter (for me at least) and I tried my very best to make it a good one! I even had a trip to the beach as a study break, which partly inspired the last scene in this chapter.  
Things won't be perfect, and I'm still trying to get the hang of writing itself, but I'm practicing as I write!
> 
> Thank you all so much again and again for the ongoing support. I love all of you and I never expected this story to become what it is now and I'll gladly keep working on it.
> 
> Lots lots of love <3

“Oh my God, Zoro. I’m so sorry, I had no idea…” Ace began, but Zoro was having none of it. He rubbed his face in frustration and defeat before raising his hand.  
It was the morning after everything happened, and Zoro was not in the mood for this kind of talk on an early Sunday morning.

“Not now, Ace. We’ll talk about this later. I’m really not feeling like it.”.

The raven haired man looked at his feet. He really messed things up for his best friend. Zoro knew it really was with the best intentions, but it had ruined this… Thing? With Sanji and the thought of it made his heart wrench and his stomach twist. The blond must’ve felt so uncomfortable.

Not to mention the fact Zoro actually came out to him the way he did. 

“Listen, how about we go on a beach trip next Saturday, huh?” Ace proposed. “Like the good ol’ days. We can go visit the aquarium and go chill on the beach like we always used to do.”.

Now that sounded like a plan. The way Zoro’s life had been turned upside down did nothing good to the man, so a nostalgic beach trip could do. Ace and Zoro used to do these trips often when they were still kids, but college had been busy and there was barely any time left for such things.

“Okay. I’ll order tickets for the aquarium. Cheaper when you buy them online.” Zoro said, and Ace smiled at that reply.

“Good, I’m looking forward to it.”.

Zoro turned his attention to the homework in front of him, and for a moment he thought Ace’s proposal made things actually seem better.

\-----------------------  
Things didn’t seem better. Not at all. A terrible cold had gotten the best of Zoro, forcing him to skip the entire week’s classes as he laid in bed and got coughing fit after coughing fit. Ace did his best to take care of his sick roommate, but then again, he was Ace, and he couldn’t help teasing Zoro about his vulnerable state.

By the time it was Thursday evening, Zoro was feeling slightly better, but his expression told him otherwise. Zoro stood in front of his bathroom mirror, eyes fixated on his worn out face, dark circles under his reddish eyes and the tip of his nose red.

“Fuck.” he managed to say before he got what felt like the worst coughing fit yet.

Skipping classes wasn’t that big of a deal to Zoro. After what happened with Sanji last Saturday, he was honestly kinda glad he didn’t have to face the blond cheerleader yet, and wasn’t sure if he would ever be ready for that as well.  
Speaking of Sanji, he hadn’t heard of the cheerleader ever since then, and that only confirmed the fact that Sanji did not want to have anything to do with Zoro anymore.

Did it absolutely break his heart? Yes, absolutely. Was there anything he could do about this entirely fucked up situation? No, there was not and Zoro was going to have to deal with that.

His thoughts were interrupted by a small knock on the door. Zoro made his way towards the living room in his shirt and boxers, not even bothering to put on his clothes because he was like, a hundred percent sure Nami was standing on the other side of the door, ready to laugh in his face. Sanji probably has told her about what happened, and of course Nami would find such things hilarious.

“If you’re here to laugh in my face I’d rather have you gone.” Zoro said while opening the door. Not a smart move, dumbass.

In front of the door stood Sanji, wearing a light blue shirt and his black slacks. His eyes widened and slowly moved to the bowl in his hands.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Sanji began, and Zoro felt like punching himself in his own stupid face.

“Fuck, fuck, sorry. I thought you were-…”. Zoro didn’t finish. How could this whole thing possibly get any worse? There was no excuse for opening the door and immediately cussing at the blond. Instead he just decided to sigh, and move aside.

“Come in.”.

Sanji seemed to hesitate, but eventually passed Zoro by eventually, and put the bowl near the microwave. He turned to Zoro, and in his eyes Zoro could clearly see how uncomfortable he was feeling.

“Merde, you look like absolute shit.” Sanji said after the silence, and a part of that new layer of ice was immediately broken. They both chuckled. Sanji came closer, and Zoro’s breath caught in his throat. Sanji raised his hand towards his hair. Oh.

“May I?”.

“Yes.” Zoro replied, not quite knowing why he answered so quickly.

A gentle hand ran through his hair, and Zoro could not help but lean a little bit into the touch. The headaches from past week immediately forgotten when that soft hand stroked his hair, nails ever so lightly scraping at his scalp.

Zoro hummed, and Sanji chuckled softly in response.

“Black hair, huh.” The blond said. “Never would’ve thought.”.

The hand left Zoro’s hair and the larger man lifted a brow.

“Your roots are showing. They’re black.” Sanji explained. Ah right, Zoro had forgotten to go and dye his hair. In his week of being sick, his hair had grown a bit, his natural color already starting to show itself. Zoro’s eyes fixated on the kitchen counter.

“What you got there?” Zoro said, and looked at the bowl.

Sanji seemed to have forgotten about the bowl and jumped up. 

“Ah, this is a vegetable soup with chicken. It’s super nutritious and helps greatly against colds.”.

Zoro’s mouth was already watering at the thought of food, his appetite not quite big when sick. But now he was feeling better, and an experienced French cook was offering him soup that was smelling absolutely heavenly.

How could he say no?

“That’s nice of you, thank you.” Zoro said honestly, looking back at his feet.

Another silence fell, both clearly wanting to address what happened, but neither of them having the guts to actually bring the incident up.

The silence ended when Zoro’s phone rang. Ace.

“Ace, what’s up?”.

Ace barely called, since they lived together. He either texted Zoro or just said it when they came home.

“Zoro, Luffy and I are on our way to Sabo’s! You remember when I told you about Koala’s pregnancy?”.

Ah, yes. Sabo, their oldest brother, was having a baby anytime soon.

The green haired man immediately replied. “No, you’re kidding? You guys became uncles?”.  
A sincere, happy laugh could be heard, and Zoro noticed the distant sound of the car engines on the background. 

“Dude, that’s amazing! Congrats to you both!” Zoro sincerely said, a smile making its way up his face. Sanji watched the conversation with big eyes, clearly not knowing what it was Zoro was talking about.

“It does mean we’ll have to plan our trip sometime later, greenie. I’m sorry.”.

Zoro waved a hand, even though Ace could not see it. “Don’t worry about that. We’ll go another time. I’ll just give my tickets to Nami or something.”.

“Awesome. Thanks again! I’ll be spamming you with pictures of my niece as soon as we get there, so be prepared!”.

Zoro smiled. “You better! Now stop calling while you’re driving asshole, and let me know when you both arrive.”.

After saying their goodbyes, Zoro laid down his phone, and turned his attention back to Sanji.

“Sorry. Ace and Luffy just became uncles. They’re pretty excited.”.

Now Sanji smiled as well. “Mon Dieu, that’s adorable.” he said. 

Zoro nodded. “Means we’ll have to cancel our trip to the beach and aquarium, though. You know anyone who would be interested in two tickets for an aquarium visit?”.

Sanji seemed to think, and eventually looked at Zoro.

“I mean; I could come?”.

Silence.

Zoro looked at him with big eyes, an eyebrow raised.

“If you want me to, of course.” Sanji spoke silently.

Zoro seemed to snap out of his daze and shook his head.

“No, no that’s-.”.

The disappointment in Sanji’s eyes made clear that Zoro was showing his excitement the wrong way.

“No, I mean yes, yes I want to go. With you.” He said. It came out so stupid, he wanted to pull out his green hair.

Sanji’s eyes went from disappointed to hopeful. “I fucking love aquariums!”.

Zoro smiled, relieved and scared all at the same time. The blond had him on a line for an entire week, and all he had to do was show up at his doorstep at seven in the evening, and Zoro was, once again, completely lost.

\-------------

Saturday noon arrived, and Zoro was filling up the trunk of his black BMW E30 cabriolet with things like towels, drinks and some snacks. He was about to pick Sanji up with the car his father had given him a while ago. It was an old, lovely cabriolet his dad left behind when leaving for Japan, and Zoro only drove it when the distance asked for it. 

Pulling up to Sanji’s apartment, he texted the blonde to get his ass over there and it did not take long for the blond to come outside, dressed in a simple white tee-shirt and navy blue shorts. 

“A cabrio?” he mocked, the word again pronounced with that French accent Zoro loved so much. “Are you trying to flex on me, marimo?”.

Using the nickname his father used to give him. Clever.

“Unless that’s what you want me to do, no.” Zoro smiled, throwing Sanji a pair of sunglasses right before he entered the car. “You’ll be needing these.”.

Sanji climbed in and tried the sunglasses on, finding that they actually fit them quite well. 

The drive was about an hour without interruptions, and it went by as smooth as Zoro could wish for. Since he didn’t drive his car often, he was kinda anxious his driving would’ve grown rusty, but all by all, he was quite the good driver. Not paying attention to anything but the road, Zoro suddenly was startled by Sanji gasping and turning up the radio.

“Jezus, cook! Don’t startle me like that!”.

Sanji simply ignored Zoro as he started to sing along with the radio.

“IS THIS THE REAL LIFE, IS THIS JUST FANTASY?”.

It wasn’t long before Zoro let out a gasp as well. Oh, he fucking loved Queen. Starting to sing along as well, a smile made its way to Zoro’s face.

“CAUGHT IN A LANDSLIDE, NO ESCAPE FROM REALITY!”

They shared a look and Sanji laughed before they both continued.

“OPEN YOUR EYES! LOOK UP TO THE SKY AND SEEEEEEEE…”.

Zoro quit and looked at Sanji, who had lifted his ass of the seat slightly, arms spread out of the car and his hair wildly dancing in the wind. Sanji sang on his own.

“I’M JUST A POOR BOY, I NEED NO SYMPATHY!”

The following sentences were lost to Zoro as he just focused on Sanji’s look of pure happiness. How long had it been since the blond had last felt like this? Sanji continued singing, and Zoro looked back at the road, ready to sing the chorus together with his companion.

“Ready?” Sanji asked curiously, sitting back in his seat as he gave Zoro a nudge with his elbow.

“Is that a question?” Zoro mocked, steadying himself in his own seat as he gripped the steering wheel with both hands. They both chanted in unison.

“MAMAAAAA, I JUST KILLED A MAN”.

It was absolutely, without a doubt, one of the best car rides Zoro had ever had.

\---------------  
The aquarium came first. Sanji was practically tiptoeing to get inside as Zoro gave his ticket to the lady at the entrance. It was adorable really, being so excited going on this date with Zoro.

Wait, this was a date? Was this a date?

Shaking his head, Zoro made his way towards Sanji.

“Okay, let’s get inside.”.

Sanji must’ve been so excited, he was already halfway in.

The aquarium never failed to amaze Zoro. Especially the glass tunnel where fish could be seen swimming all around you. It was absolutely magical. 

And Sanji...  
Well Sanji was quite the sight.

His blonde hair contrasted so prettily with the soft blue glow of the aquarium and the hand he held so precious was pressed against the glass wall.

The deep blue eyes Zoro had come to love so dearly were widened as they took in the underwater landscape in front of them. Sanji's mouth was slightly agape as he let out a sigh of awe. 

For a split second, every impure thought Zoro had ever had of the blond disappeared from his mind as he watched Sanji stand there. The feeling of their first shared look on the football field was back and Zoro had to keep himself from clutching his chest. 

He just wanted to paint this moment on a mental canvas and keep it with him forever.

The way Sanji looked like at this very moment was nothing but pure, unfiltered joy, and Zoro felt like he was falling in love over and over and over again.

The blond had him unconsciously hooked to the feeling and Zoro had gotten into a loop of emotions he tried his best to suppress.

Sanji looked around him, as if he was in a completely different place, another planet. Zoro wanted to look around too, but his gaze was plastered to the man that stood in front of him. Two manta rays swam above him, making Sanji raise his head and smile. Zoro thought he was dreaming. It sure looked like it. A dream. He wanted to reach out, lace his fingers in that silky blond hair, kiss those lips so gently and tell Sanji that he is absolutely smitten with him. Though, he couldn’t. Not yet.

But Zoro’s swollen heart quickly shrunk when he saw a tear escape from the corner of Sanji’s eye. The gleeful smile that was there just a second ago, slowly disappeared and made place for a straight, stiff mouth that was holding back a sob, so much was clear. It made its way down his cheek to the tip of his chin, where his goatee was growing slowly but steady.

Now was not the moment to ask questions, Zoro decided. No matter how worried he was, Sanji was having a moment, and Zoro made sure to stay out of that.

\------------

A few hours later, the pair was sitting on the beach, Sanji silently eating an apple and Zoro sipping from a bottle of water. They were staring at the ocean, where the sun would set anytime soon.

“I’m sorry.” Sanji said. One of the first words he’d spoken since that moment back in the aquarium.

Zoro looked his way, and cocked his head.

“Why are you apologizing?”.

Sanji shrugged. “For being a crybaby. It’s unlike me to cry like that, believe me. I just-…”.

Zoro lifted a brow.

“It just, reminded me of home.”.

Zoro kept silent. That made sense.

“My dad had this big aquarium in the restaurant, full of exotic fish. God, did I love that aquarium.” Sanji chuckled. “So every now and then he took me out to Sea Life in Paris. Those were like, my favorite trips ever. We did go one last time, a few days before I left.”.

“And you were feeling homesick?” Zoro filled in, and Sanji nodded.

“Nostalgia, I guess.” He replied, biting his apple once more.

Another silence fell, before Sanji spoke up again.

“Zoro, about the other day…”.

Oh boy, here it comes.

“I-… I wanted to apologize.”.

Zoro laughed, trying not to show how nervous the topic made him feel.

“What’s with you and unnecessarily apologizing for stuff? None of that was your fault.”.

The cheerleader shook his head. “It was. You told me something very, very personal, something probably only Ace knows, and I just walked out on you. It wasn’t right.”.

But the green haired man rubbed his face, and disagreed.

“What you did was normal, and I don’t expect you to hang out with me or talk to me just because you feel bad.”.

Sanji laughed. “Typical. A big bad boy with a soft heart.”.

Zoro threw the core of his apple at him.

“Ta gueule, blondie.”.

Sanji’s eyes widened. “When did you learn to shut me up in French?”.

Zoro let out a chuckle and threw a rock towards the water, absently replying that he had heard Sanji say it several times before.

The two sat there for a while, watching the sun set slowly and descending into the depths of the night. There was a comfortable silence between them that made Zoro realize they should have had this talk sooner. When the sun was completely under, Sanji was the one to pick up the conversation again.

“So… You and Ace…?”.

Zoro turned his head and immediately started laughing loudly. Was this man for real?

“Ace? You got to be kidding me! No! Ace and I are just best buddies. Always have been. There’s not one dyed hair on my head that thinks of dating that dumbass.”.

If he listened closely, Zoro would even think he heard Sanji let out a relieved sigh.

“No…” Zoro continued. “My type goes more towards something lighter. Blond, perhaps.”.

It was worth the try.

Sanji raised a curly eyebrow at that. “Is that your way of flirting? That sounds like it’s straight from a dumb, fluffy fanfiction on the internet.”.

Zoro shrugged. “It’s the truth.”.

“Then who was it you were talking about at the party, then, Friday night? You said you liked someone.”.

Now that caught Zoro’s attention.

“I, uh…”.

Well, dumbass. What are you going to say to that?

Zoro was dumbstruck. Sanji was obviously aware of his flirting, and was now asking a good question. So now he had two choices. Lie to him, and tell him there’s someone else he has his eyes on, or just…

Tell the truth.

Zoro was a bad liar. And at this very moment, he felt like his heart was going to bust out of his chest.

“I… Might have a thing for you, blondie.”.

He added the nickname, all to make the whole thing seem less awkward, and to conceal the fact that he was about to throw up. Fuck.

Sanji said nothing, and the only thing Zoro could hear was the silent crashing of waves.

That was, until Sanji’s confused expression changed into something else, and he scooted closer to where Zoro was sitting. He was looking for sentences, words, hell even a single letter, but he couldn’t bring anything out. Sanji’s hand was in his hair again, but this time it felt different. Last time he was checking his natural hair color, and giving it a gentle caress. Now though, now he was stroking it so slowly, almost torturous. It was affection, something Zoro had never, ever felt before from someone beside his mom and dad. It was something so deep, it reached deeper than his heart. It reached his soul, and touched it, caressed it.  
It was love. Zoro was in love.  
And while that fact wasn’t anything new to him, it came crashing down like a beautiful wave of emotions and feelings, leaving the green haired man at complete mercy of the blond cheerleader. It was absolutely the best feeling Zoro had ever had, and suddenly he realized what people liked so much about being in love. 

Zoro wanted to lean in, but he was frozen. His normally skilled, steady hands were shaking heavily, and his eyes slowly closed.

Then Sanji’s lips were on his.

Fireworks exploded, and Zoro felt as if he had just ran to space and back.

But there was nothing.

Just Sanji kissing him while the wind caressed their light touches.

When Zoro felt Sanji’s hand touching the back of his neck, he decided to do what he had been wanting to do for what felt like ages. His hand raised until his fingers were caressing Sanji’s cheek, eventually going higher to thread in that soft hair. And he was right, it really felt like silk.

What seemed to last for hours, had only been about a solid minute when they broke apart for air. Sanji’s eyes were widened and the man looked shocked.

Panic shot through Zoro as he watched Sanji with the exact same expression. He lowered his hand and scooted back to give Sanji the space to think.

“I-… I’m sorry.” Sanji said.

Zoro’s breathing was heavy.

“There you go again. Don’t apologize.”.

Sanji’s brows furrowed. “No, you don’t understand. I just… I don’t…”.

He didn’t have to say anything. Zoro understood exactly what he meant.

“You’re confused because I am the first man you’ve ever kissed?”.

Sanji grew quiet, and fixated his gaze on the sand. He felt ashamed.

Taking that as a confirmation, Zoro scooted closer again. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”.

Of course he didn’t mind being kissed senseless.

“How about we just… Go home? Let this whole thing sink in a little?” Sanji proposed, and Zoro felt his heart sink. Now that he had gotten a taste of the blond as a lover, he already craved for more. But Sanji was what mattered here, and if he wanted to wait and see, then they would wait and see.

On their way back to the car, they spoke about the upcoming football game, and about the winning goal Zoro made last week. And it didn’t take long for Sanji to gently hold onto Zoro’s arm, as if he was testing the waters, before he just looped his own through, and they walked with their arms hooked into each other.

Sanji was right, Zoro thought. This does look like a dumb, romantic fanfiction.

But damn, was it a good one.


	7. Conclusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Zoro's feelings finally out of the way after his confession, the green haired man is relieved to have it off his chest and accepts Sanji's proposal to give him some time to process everything.
> 
> But the infiltrating blond isn't making things easy for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! This chapter contains some mature (not explicit, but mature) content! If you don't like reading those kind of things you can easily skip the part inbetween the lines!  
\--------------------------  
FROM TEEN TO MATURE! A big step for a first-time writer like me. This is as smutty as it'll get this story! Just some sensual lap dancing 'nd stuff.  
This chapter is a bit of a chaotic, emotional rollercoaster, with Sanji being a seductive little shit and Zoro just really trying to stay cool.
> 
> Spoiler: he can't.
> 
> I'm so glad you're all enjoying this story so much and I still have some things planned before I end this, so please leave some kudo's and stay tuned!
> 
> Lots of love <3

Another week had passed ever since the beach incident had happened, and everything had gone fairly well by the fact Zoro wasn’t walking around as if there was a stick up his ass. They sometimes lunched together and Sanji was quickly accepted into the group of friends, much to Zoro’s pleasure. When Nami said there was a party upcoming Saturday, Sanji had not doubted when he said he wanted to come too. Zoro and Sanji made the deal that Zoro would be driving that night. It had been too long since the blond was able to have a drink.

That’s how they got here, on a Saturday night, early Sunday morning, in the house of a student Zoro couldn’t even remember the name of. 

The football players were asked to wear their uniform to represent their college, and out of sympathy, the cheerleaders had done the same. So, there Sanji was, dancing in that cheerleader’s uniform Zoro loved so much. His moves were smooth and flexible as he danced amongst the girls of his team, including Nami and Vivi. He had drunk way too much alcohol, which wasn’t that much, but he probably could not hold his liquor very well judging by the way his shirt had started to rile up and his hair was disheveled without Sanji even caring the slightest bit.

Deciding it would be best to just stop watching like a creep, Zoro made his way towards the less crowded lounge, where a comfortable looking couch stood.

The room was almost empty, but the music was still loud enough to feel the bass beat in your chest.  
Zoro went to sit in the sofa, only to notice the blond cheerleader had followed him into the room, and was looking at him with that killer smile, eyes half lidded and his breathing still heavy from dancing.  
For a split second, Zoro's entire mind seemed to shut down when Sanji simply took place on his lap and looked at him lovingly. The blond smelled like alcohol and sweat and his cheerleaders outfit was everything but decent looking by now.  
"Have I ever, like... told you how hot you look? In that uniform? Your football uniform?" Sanji said, and in his drunken state, he even dared to go through Zoro's earrings with his thumb, their chiming barely audible under the loud music.  
"Delicious." Sanji slurred while leaning in, and Zoro's brain short circuited at the feeling of Sanji's breath.  
His lips found the spot under Zoro's ear, and gave it a light kiss.

No shame whatsoever.

A shiver ran through Zoro's entire body

"You were the one who wanted to wait, blondie. Don't come at me all drunk and seductive. It's not working." he managed to bring out.

Oh but it was working.  
And Sanji fucking knew it.

\-----------------------------‐-----

"Let's just go home, Zoro." he whispered in Zoro's ear, and the green haired man really had to hold onto the last bit of sanity he had left to push Sanji off him instead of just plundering his foul mouth right then and there.

"You're drunk, cook. I'll drop you off at your apartment, let's go.".

But right before Zoro was able to get up from the sofa he was sitting on, Sanji pushed him back down again, now completely straddling the others lap with his knees on each side of Zoro's hips.  
Sanji's mouth found that spot under Zoro's ear again, his nose brushing the three earrings so gently Zoro felt his eyes roll back and he thought the world around him completely disappeared.  
The blond hair tickled Zoro's cheek and Sanji's breath was hot on the sensitive skin of the football players neck. This time, Sanji started peppering the skin with light kisses. Everything about it was so overwhelming, his smell, the feeling of his lips against his skin...  
Zoro closed his eyes and had to try his absolute hardest to speak.

"Sanji, no.".

The blond got off his lap, and stared at Zoro with a wicked smile when he stood in front of the still sitting man.

For a minute, the football player thought Sanji had finally come to his senses, and he prepared himself to just get up and go home. 

Then, the beat picked up, and Sanji started swinging those lithe hips to the beat as he lifted his arms.

This couldn't be fucking happening.

Zoro's eyes widened when Sanji's hand found the bottom of his cheerleader top and slowly, so slowly, started lifting the material. The movements of his body were in sync with the loud music, and for a moment Zoro was grateful the living room was now completely empty and the lights were dimmed.  
Sanji's smile was plastered to his face as the tank top was completely pulled over his head, revealing that gorgeously toned chest and stomach. His hair was a mess and if Zoro wouldn't have found the whole thing so hot, he'd be calling it absolutely adorable. The man was frozen in place when Sanji came closer again and turned around with his back now facing Zoro. Before the football player could do anything, Sanji bent over, peeking through his own fucking legs at Zoro's reaction. Zoro had to try and not stare at that athletic ass right in front of his fucking nose, and instead decided to look down at Sanji’s face. The blonde smirked, and went to stand upright before bending the entire other way backwards, his face a very few inches away from Zoro's.

Fuck this man and his fucking flexibility. 

"You're holding back, chéri." Sanji cooed, and slowly bent forward again, his nose lightly brushing Zoro's, to return to a normal standing position again.

"I don't... want to take advantage of you, cook. You're drunk." Zoro breathed.

Sanji sighed and turned around, straddling Zoro's lap for the third time tonight, only this time he was shirtless, and Zoro did his very, very best to keep his eyes plastered to Sanji's.

"B-bold of you to think you could take advantage of me." Sanji said, grabbing a hold of Zoro's left hand, and slowly raising it towards his chest.

"Want you." he said, and before literally anything else could happen, a loud voice broke them both from their current trance.

\----------------------------------------------------------

"Oh my God!".

In the door opening stood Nami, a hand covering her smiling lips and eyes wide in surprise. Behind her stood Vivi in the same state.

"Oh, no..." Zoro sighed, a hand coming up to cover his face. Sanji just sat there, staring at Nami in shock, still shirtless on Zoro's lap.

"Nami..." he managed to bring out, and slowly slid off Zoro's lap.

"Oh my, please forgive us for interrupting." Nami said, taking Vivi's arm in hers and slowly making her way towards the pair.

"I just wanted to ask you for a favor." the redhead spoke, turning to Zoro who was now standing up, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What is it?".

"Well, since Ace is still at Sabo's, I was wondering if we could use your apartment for a night, since the place here won't be quiet very soon and we were supposed to crash here."

Deciding not to argue, Zoro immediately started looking for his key and threw it towards Nami, who caught it smoothly before giving him a smile.

"I'm sure you'll find a place to sleep, tonight." his female friend finished with a wink, and left with Vivi still on her arm.

Looking at the sofa, Zoro noticed Sanji was staring at him. The lust in his eyes had disappeared and was replaced with something else.

"M'sorry, Zoro.".

The green haired man smiled weakly, honestly just wanting to go home. 

" It's okay. Can I crash on your sofa tonight, though?".

The blonde hummed in approval and tried to stand up, stumbling towards Zoro who could just catch him in time.

“And you need a bed.” Zoro said, hooking Sanji’s arm around his own neck and practically carried Sanji out of the house.

The ride was cool; the sounds of the street were a soothing break of silence as they passed the nightlife of their city. Sanji sat in the passenger’s seat, his tongue clumsily poking out from in-between his pale lips. Zoro chuckled and focused back on the road.

“What’re you trying, blondie?”.

He heard an annoyed drunk groan in response.

“Shut up, I’m trying to touch my nose with my tongue.”. 

This time Zoro laughed harder, his eyes drifting back to Sanji, who desperately tried to stick out his tongue as far as possible.

“Shee!” he said, tongue still out of his mouth. “Sh’not wohkin’!”.

It was adorable, domestic almost how warm Zoro felt at that.

He pulled up near Sanji’s apartment, helping his companion get out of the car and in the meantime trying not to think too much about what had happened a good hour earlier.  
Once they got upstairs, Sanji fumbled with the keys until they dropped out of his hands. He eventually just leaned against the door and sighed.

“Bein’ drunk fuhckin’ sucks.” He slurred, head resting on Zoro’s shoulder while the green haired man picked up the keys and opened the door to the small apartment. Right after they got in, Zoro heard the rain suddenly pouring for the sky. Right, a storm had been predicted for this weekend.

“Yeah, yeah. So I’ve noticed. You’re gonna regret this in the morning.” Zoro mumbled, placing his bag next to the kitchen counter together with Sanji’s.

“Let’s put you to bed, shall we?” the football player proposed, and Sanji chuckled drunkily.

“Not a baby, leave me alone, marimo.”.

Zoro ignored the small protests as he led Sanji to his room. As soon as Sanji saw his bed, the mood seemed to shift and the little protests immediately stopped as he threw himself tight on top of the bed.

“Mmmm.” Sanji sighed happily, and nuzzled the pillows with a content look on his face.

Every coherent thought Zoro was having at that moment disappeared, oddly familiar with what happened back at the aquarium. Here he was, Sanji Bertrand, head of the cheerleader team, a gorgeous blond man with ambitions and dreams. He was everything Zoro was, and yet nothing like him at all. Since that one kiss at the beach, Zoro had not been able to get him out of his head.

He couldn’t even get him out of his head BEFORE that kiss, but this was… Worse?

His index finger stroked one of Sanji’s blond bangs aside when suddenly the soft roaring of thunder could be heard from outside the bedroom window. Zoro stood up and made his way into the living room, deciding to leave Sanji to sleep in and call it a night. Undoing himself from the football uniform he was still wearing, Zoro was left in his boxers to sleep on the sofa. 

He tried to make it as comfortable as a couch could get, but Zoro eventually settled in for sleep and listened to the sounds of the storm to help him calm down.

He wasn’t sure how long it had been before he was awoken from his slumber by a slight nudging in his ribs, but there sure had passed a few hours. The storm was still raging outside, and next to him stood Sanji, now also in boxers and seemingly a bit soberer than a few hours before.

“Zoro?” his voice was hoarse and tired, and in his eyes Zoro saw panic. The green haired man sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What time is it?”.

Sanji looked at the phone in his hand. “5.31.”.

Zoro sighed and when he seemed to be awake enough, he finally looked at Sanji with a questioning gaze.

“What’s up?” he asked confused.

Sanji seemd nervous, almost scared as he fumbled with his phone and looked out of the window.

“Promise you won’t give me shit for it?”.

Zoro cocked a brow, and even in his tired state, managed to chuckle.

“Promised.”.

“Okay, I’m pretty scared of lightning.” Sanji quickly said as his shoulders tensed, and Zoro could really just… stare. He was so tired and then this man comes to wake him up because he’s afraid of bad weather.

“Lightning scares you?”.

“You promised you wouldn’t give me shit for it!”.

“I’m not! I just… What do you want me to do about it, then?” Zoro asked, fingers once again rubbing at his eyes. “You want me to come and cuddle up to you so you’re safe”.

He said it as a joke, really. He didn’t expect Sanji to react the way he did, with a nod.

“I mean, like, except for the cuddling part, maybe? Just… Company?”.

Zoro’s heart stood still for a second before it regained its composure.

“Uh, yeah sure, if that’s what you want.” The man replied, and stood up from the sofa, stretching out his arms with a long groan. He didn’t notice Sanji staring.

Zoro went to lay on the side of the window, with the storm still going on strongly outside. Sanji laid next to him, facing the ceiling and already feeling more at ease at the feeling of someone being with him.

“Can I ask where the scar came from?” Sanji asked, unsure, referring to the large scar that crossed Zoro's chest. Zoro shrugged and kept his gaze on the window. “A street fight, nothing special really.”

“I’ve seen it before but I thought it was a heavy subject so I never asked.” Sanji said, now turning to Zoro as Zoro did the same.

“Not as heavy as your fear for lightning.” He smiled, and received a playful kick in his stomach.

“Fuck you! Don’t tell me there’s nothing you’re afraid of!” Sanji said, and Zoro actually had to think about that. Were there things he was scared of, anyway?

“Well…”.

‘You’ he wanted to reply. ‘You frighten me and I fucking love it’.

“I don’t like Nami. She’s scary.”.

Another kick.

“Ow! I’m kidding, asshole! Okay, I guess very small spaces, like elevators and shit, that makes me kinda uncomfortable. Does that count?”.

Sanji smiled happily. “It counts.”.

A silence fell, and both men were no longer staring out of the window, but rather at each other.

Sanji’s eyes slowly drifted close, and Zoro’s hand found the blonde locks that surrounded his face and caressed them slowly, much like Sanji had done last week.

In the pure moment of bliss and sleep, the words slipped from Sanji’s lips.  
“Zoro…” he murmured. “Embrasse moi.”.

What did it mean? Embrasse moi? Embrace me? So Zoro did, stretching his arms so Sanji could come closer, but not expecting it when the blond pressed his lips to Zoro’s, so softly, it felt almost like a dream, a fata morgana he never wanted to wake up from. For a moment, the storm going on outside was nothing compared to whatever was happening inside Zoro's heart right now.

Oh, it meant ‘kiss me’.

Pulling away, the blond snuggled up to that firm chest while Zoro held him, eyes wide in shock and trying to keep his breathing under control while Sanji was already sleeping soundly after the last few words had left his mouth.

“Je t’aime.”.

'I love you'


	8. Crimson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro didn't drink last night, but Sanji did.  
Yet Zoro feels like he's the one waking up with the hangover.

Early rays of sunshine bounced off the white walls of the apartment. Zoro groaned, softly opening his eyes and soon realizing this wasn’t his apartment at all.  
On his nightstand stood a lamp he did not recognize, and on the other one lay a pack of cigarettes with a lighter next to it. Was it made out of actual gold?  
The sound of falling water came from the room next door, and it didn’t take Zoro long before realizing who was the owner of the voice in the shower, singing a lovely French song as he went through the process of taking showers that could last up until an hour.

Zoro instantly regretted not drinking last night in order to drive, because every moment he had spent with Sanji came slowly back into his mind. Every small detail the blond had done and said returned with the impact of a kick in his guts. He mentally went over last night, thinking about how drunk Sanji had been, dancing and even stripping his shirt off for Zoro to see. And Nami catching them. Shit, Nami had seen Sanji doing those things and had probably noticed Zoro’s flustered state as well.  
He didn’t mind Nami knowing about his sexuality, not at all. But the fact that she had caught him with the head of her cheerleader team…

Zoro had driven Sanji home, put the blond to sleep and crashing on the couch himself. Not long after that, a storm had come up, Sanji was scared, came to wake Zoro up and literally asked him to sleep next to him, in the bed.

And then Sanji had mumbled some French words, even kissed Zoro, and then said something in the terms of ‘Je t’aime’.  
Zoro had a feeling of what it meant, the words hadn’t left his mind ever since Sanji had spoken them, but he simply wanted to be sure. Grabbing his phone next to the lamp, Zoro opened his google translate app, quickly erasing the last Japanese translation he had done and filling in the words that had made his hart stop last night. He didn’t get the spelling entirely correct, but the app seemed to know what he meant as they corrected the French sentence and gave him the English translation.

I love you

So he was right. Sanji had said that he loved Zoro. And as if that wasn’t enough of a confession, he had cuddled up to the football player and fallen asleep just like that.

Okay, rewind, pause, play.

‘Sanji was drunk’ Zoro thought to himself. ‘There is no way in the world he’d just say those things after he literally asked me to give him some space. He didn’t mean it.’. Zoro let one of his hands go through his green/black hair and sighed.

‘But what if he did?’

Because, if he didn’t, how would Sanji react? Would he blame Zoro of his own actions? Yeah, that’s probably how things would go, it’s just how he is.  
The shower stopped, but Sanji kept quietly singing this lovely French tune Zoro did not seem to know.

“Tu sais la vie c'est des enfants  
Mais comme toujours c'est pas l'bon moment  
Ah oui pour les faire là tu es présent  
Mais pour les élever y'aura qu'des absents.”

Zoro shook his head with a dumb smile before he tried to face yesterday’s facts again. Would Sanji be mad at Zoro? Then again, it’s not like Zoro did things to Sanji. He merely slept in his bed, on Sanji’s own request, so there was no reason for the blond to bitch about it.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Sanji came out with a towel draped around his waist. A toothbrush stuck out of his mouth as he entered the bedroom and looked at Zoro with widened eyes. His blond, wet hair was combed backwards, revealing both of those mesmerizing blue eyes for the first time. Sanji mumbled something inaudible and Zoro raised a brow. The cheerleader just groaned in response and went to spit out the excess toothpaste in his mouth before coming back into the room.

“You’re awake.” He said, wiping his mouth.

“And you’re awfully jolly for someone who was so shit-faced last night.” Zoro noted, trying his best to keep his eyes focused on Sanji’s, and not on the droplets of water gliding down the blond’s chest. Jesus, he felt like a stupid, horny teenager all over again. 

“For your information, asshole, I wasn’t shitfaced. I remember everything ver-“.

Sanji stopped in his tracks when his eyes widened once again. Well, seems like someone is remembering certain stuff as well.

“I remember everything very clearly.” he finished, turning around and toweling his hair dry while making his way to the kitchen. Zoro fell back on the bed, burying his face in the pillows to probably just scream or something.

Sanji, they smelled like Sanji.

They smelled slightly like cigarettes, his cologne and food. Spices.

Zoro got up and frowned, rubbing his face in frustration.

Stupid Sanji. Stupid, sexy Sanji and his stupid blond hair and stupid lean, flexible body, with his stupid personality Zoro could not help but adore.  
He entered the kitchen, where Sanji was now walking around in a plain shirt and some boxers. His hands moved smoothly as he flipped an omelet while two slices of bread jumped out of the toaster. He had put on a song through his Bluetooth speakers and Zoro immediately recognized the tune.

“It’s that song you were singing earlier, isn’t it? The French one?”.

Sanji turned around, partly startled by Zoro’s presence, partly shocked the man had heard him sing.

“Uh, yeah. Like it?” the blond asked, his attention shifting back to the breakfast.

Zoro shrugged. “S’okay.”.

“It’s Stromae.” Sanji informed, placing both pieces of toast on a plate and covering them with the omelet.

“The French dude, or the dish?” Zoro asked with a smile and went to sit down, pulling a chair back for Sanji as well. The blond chuckled.

“The dude. He’s not French though, he’s from Belgium.”.

“Isn’t Belgium, like, the country with the good beer?”.

“Of course that’s the first thing you think of.” Sanji said and sat down, facing Zoro and flipping his fork playfully in his hand.

“Hey! I know about their chocolate too. I just don’t like chocolate. Yikes.”.

Sanji cocked one of his curly brows, and swallowed his food before speaking.

“Both Belgium and France have more qualities than just their beer and chocolate. Just wait until we go there, I’ll show you all there is to see.” The cheerleader said, a joyful smile gracing his face as his eyes lit up. Zoro’s heart made a little jump, both at sight of Sanji’s smile, and the fact the blond was… planning these kind of things, with him. Perhaps he wanted to take the entire group of friends too, but Zoro would be okay with that. Seeing France and eating at the restaurant Sanji grew up in would be something Zoro wouldn’t want to miss. Speaking of which…

“Is that your old man?” Zoro asked, nodding towards the frame on the wall. A large picture, showing a slightly younger Sanji, perhaps around 16 years old, and a blond, buff man standing next to him. His mustache was braided and his cooks hat was too large to fit in the frame. 

“My adoptive father, yeah.” Sanji said with a dumb smile on his face as he looked at the picture.

Zoro had to admit, if Sanji would’ve said this was his real father, he would’ve believed him. The man looked exactly as he would’ve imagined the blonds father to look like. Their self-confident expression spoke more than words alone.

Sanji really was happy back there.

“So…” Sanji suddenly changed the subject, looking back at Zoro. “About last night…”.

Zoro groaned. “I was hoping you wouldn’t bring it up, to be honest.”.

“I just wanted to say thank you. For not giving me shit because… You know, the thunder thing…”.

Zoro blinked. Oh, he was talking about that part of the night.

“Ah, no problem.”.

He wanted to insult the blond, just to relieve the tension, but he knew he was only going to make things worse that way.

“I should be on my way.” Zoro eventually said as he stood up to help Sanji clear the table. “Ace is probably coming home in a few hours so I should go and clean up the apartment.”.

Sanji nodded. “Thanks again.”.

Zoro slipped his footballer’s uniform back on. “Nah, I should be thanking you.”.

“If you’re talking about me dancing, I do it better when I’m sober.”

Zoro could hear the smile in his voice and for a moment he wasn’t sure if Sanji was joking or not. He felt a faint blush creeping up his cheeks and cocked a brow when he looked back at the cheerleader, who just stood there with a smug grin on his stupid, pretty face. His hair had dried a bit and was now falling back over his left eye. Sanji leaned against the door opening that connected the kitchen with the living room.

“You’re an asshole.” Was all Zoro said.

“Oh, am I getting the big green idiot a bit flustered?” Sanji asked, pushing himself back on his feet and making his way towards Zoro. The taller man tensed up and held onto the back of the sofa he was leaning against when Sanji once more invaded his personal space.

He placed a cigarette in-between his lips and winked, before casually walking towards the small balcony door. So Zoro was right, he does smoke.

“You addicted to those things?” Zoro smiled, trying to keep his breathing under control. Something he hadn’t been very good at ever since Sanji invaded his life and therefore, every thought.

“A bad habit I picked up, I guess.” Sanji admitted, opening the door and lighting his cigarette. Zoro didn’t like cigarettes, nothing about them was attractive. But, then again, this was Sanji.

And whatever it was Sanji did, he always made it look good.

The green haired man sighed. “I’m going. See you tomorrow at the campus?”.

Sanji nodded and blew out the smoke he had inhaled.

“Au revoir.”.

Okay now he was just doing it on purpose, wasn’t he? There was no way Sanji was oblivious.

\------------------------------------------------------------

When Zoro arrived at his apartment, he heard Nami’s chuckles and was instantly reminded that she was the reason this whole thing had happened. 

He had a spare key, but decided to knock anyway before he interrupted any ‘important matters’. Lucky for him, it wasn’t long before Nami opened the door, still giggling about what had probably been a dumb joke or a funny rumor.

“Zoro!” She yelled happily, pulling the green-haired man inside. Vivi was sitting in the sofa and the entire apartment was looking cleaner than before he had left. Had these two been cleaning up?

“Look, I know you’re not a personal kind of guy but…”. Her eyes were glistening and at the same time Zoro saw nothing but evil.

“Sanji?” Vivi filled in, turning around in the sofa and looking at Zoro curiously.

The poor man could not handle these kind of things right now, let alone with these two. He rolled his eyes and made his way to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

“Whatever it is you’ve seen…”.

“Yeah, and we literally saw Sanji stripping in front of you!”.

“Sanji was drunk.” Zoro corrected.

“But undressing! For you!”.

Zoro scoffed before sipping his water. “He wasn’t undressing for me!”.

“Zoro, he sat in your lap humping you like a horny Chihuahua.” said Vivi, and hearing those words come out of someone as well-mannered as Vivi, Zoro choked on the water he was drinking and had to regain his composure before looking up.

“WELL!” Nami said, grabbing Vivi by the arm, still laughing hysterically. “We must be on our way! Oh, hi Ace!”.

“I’m sorry, but Sanji did what?” Ace asked, standing in the door opening with his bag and iced coffee in hand. His eyes were widened and a smile slowly crept up his face. Great. Leave it to Ace to show up on moments like this. All. The. Time.

“Awesome, join the party.” Zoro sighed and placed his elbows on the counter to let his head rest in his hands. 

It wasn’t long before he felt Nami’s hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, your secret is safe with us, though.”.

It was comforting, reassuring, but Zoro still shrugged.

“Just get both of your asses out of here before I throw you off the stairs.”.

Nami laughed and defensively lifted her hands. “Okay, big boy. We’re on our way. Take care and see you both tomorrow!”.

When the door slammed closed, Zoro could already feel Ace’s gaze on his.

“They know?”.

Zoro lifted his head and looked at Ace with a tired look.

“You have no idea. You feel like playing some PS4? There might be some things I gotta tell you about.”.

Ace dropped his bag on the ground.

“Sure thing, buddy.”.

Zoro grabbed both controllers before he sat down.

“So, how’s the baby?”.

Ace immediately lit up at the question as he plopped down next to Zoro in the sofa.

“Oh she’s good! Zoro, she’s so gorgeous. I want to protect that child with all I have!” he said, and it made Zoro smile. Ace would make a great father later.

“So, what about the whole cheerleader situation?”.

“I’m gonna keep this short.” Zoro said, fixating his gaze on the screen. “It started with you calling saying we wouldn’t be able to go to the aquarium…”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I'm from Belgium! In Belgium there's a part of the population that speaks French, a part that speaks Dutch, such as me, and a small part that speaks German! Stromae comes from Brussels, where they mainly speak French!
> 
> The Stromae song Sanji was singing! --> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAMWdvo71ls
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I tried to cut a very very little bit back on the thicc load of fluff ;-)
> 
> Lots of love!


	9. Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanji is still testing the waters, but Zoro just keeps sinking deeper and deeper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER CHAPTER OOF!
> 
> I've been very busy lately, and I finally found the time and inspiration to write a next chapter which contains more cheerleading Sanji and fair fun! Also, a shitload of fluff. What did you expect?
> 
> Zoro refers to one of my favourite paintings in this chapter, which is Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh! Id you don't know which painting that is, here's a link! = https://images.app.goo.gl/5RfWQZrT2hGMhoRz5
> 
> LOTS OF LOVE! As always, mistakes may be corrected, thank you for all the support and please enjoy!

Friday. Fucking finally, Friday.

Zoro walked through the crowded halls as the last bell rang, trying to find a way through the thousands of students trying to get out of there as quick as possible.

Every year as autumn neared, a big October fair took place at the park right next to the campus. It was always quite the deal, with music blasting through hundreds of speakers, the fairground lights illuminating the trees in all kind of beautiful colors.

Zoro and his rather large group of friends had the yearly tradition to go and see the fireworks at the first evening the fair took place, and each year it was absolutely lovely, Zoro thought. He’d never say that out loud though. 

Passing the gym to get to his apartment and get cleaned up, Zoro stopped in his tracks when he heard music coming from the gym hall where the cheerleaders usually trained. Their training mostly took place on Wednesdays, Fridays, and sometimes on Saturdays, but because of the fair the training had been cancelled, much to the cheerleader’s delight. 

That only made Zoro more curious to check out where the music was coming from. Everything was cancelled, so who would be in the right mind to be training now?

Going inside and peeking through the door, he suddenly wished he had not been so curious. 

In there stood Sanji, wearing nothing but a tight tank top and a pair of black dance leggings. His blonde hair was tied into a cute, small ponytail, fringe still covering his left eye. Sanji’s hand was resting on the railing attached to the mirror and his one leg stretched and bent behind him, reaching over his head. He then arched his back, the heel of his foot touching his nose as he performed the most perfect scorpion split Zoro had ever seen. His visible eye was closed and one of his hands reached for the foot as he held it firmly in place.

‘Fuck.’ Zoro thought when he felt his stomach flutter again and his heart swell. ‘Fucking hell.’

The cheerleader stood there for a little while, eyes closed and brows slightly furrowed as he concentrated on whatever he was doing to his muscles. Zoro thought it almost looked like meditating.

Sanji eventually opened his eyes, letting go of his foot and slowly letting it come down, his upper body already leaning forward until his fingertips touched the ground. The moment his one foot was on the ground, he lifted his other one, lifting it up in the air until his legs were entirely split again. A soft, low groan could be heard as Sanji stretched, his fringe almost touching the ground as he bent completely forward. The music picked up a bit, and as if on cue, Sanji straightened and stood on his toes, stretching his arms above him.  
He turned around, Zoro slightly adjusting himself so that he wouldn’t make himself visible to the currently occupied cheerleader. Sanji eyed the long red gym mats in front of him, stepping back a bit with challenge in his eyes. What was he planning?

Sanji had a small run-up before jumping on the trampoline on the parkour, and doing a flawless flip once he found himself in the air. Landing perfectly on his feet, Sanji didn’t even take the time to rest as he did a perfect cartwheel, followed by a forward handspring before he landed on both his feet again without missing a beat, his arms spread as if he was holding his pompons. Sanji was seemingly pleased with what he just had done. A smirk appeared on his face, and he did his best to calm his breathing after his performance.  
Sanji lowered his arms, still breathless and the hair that was supposed to be a ponytail was kind of a mess now. The cheerleader reached for the bottom of his top and pulled it over his head, now completely messing up the ponytail as his hair fell back, flat against his face. His upper body was covered in a light layer of sweat, his hair slightly damp and he decided to dry himself slightly using his discarded top. 

Zoro held in his breath at seeing the toned upper body. He had seen Sanji shirtless before (He also refused to think about the night Sanji literally stripped it off for him) but seeing him in this light was different. Sanji thought he was alone, being the purest form of himself, entirely in his element. And it pulled at Zoro’s poor heartstrings. Literally, all Sanji had to do was be Sanji, and that was all it took for Zoro to lose his goddamn mind. He wanted to go in, talk to him, but remembered Sanji asking him to give him the space he needed. Yet it was Sanji himself who constantly kept throwing himself at Zoro. So what did he have to do? The blond was giving mixed, confusing signals and Zoro didn’t like it one bit.

Maybe he did, a little.

Sanji sat down on a tribune and took his phone, an adorable smile gracing his face as he started texting. Who was he sending messages to? A girl, perhaps. That might be the reason he asked for Zoro to give him ‘time’. Because a simple ‘no’ would’ve been too harsh and because Zoro had to come out to him the way he did. Maybe Sanji felt bad for Zoro, too bad to admit there really was someone else. Seemingly hitting send, Sanji put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his shirt making his way towards the showers.

What was Zoro feeling disappointed for? Sanji literally asked him to back off, it’s not as if the signs weren’t clear.  
Yet, it felt as if his heart was weeping.

Watching the cheerleader go, a loud buzzing suddenly pulled Zoro from his internal, dramatic moment, his hand flying towards the phone in the pocket of his jeans, eyes growing wide in surprise when he saw the blond cheerleader turning his head. The green haired man was as silent as possible, and when the cheerleader raised a brow and shrugged, he disappeared into the shower rooms, much to Zoro’s relief. He hadn’t seen him.

Still not getting the clue, Zoro made his way outside, sliding out his phone to check the message he just received. It didn’t quite click instantly when he saw the name ‘shit-cook’ on his screen, but after a good minute of thinking he realized Sanji had sent him a message.

A message?

From Sanji? Right now?

Oh, so that smile Sanji had just a minute ago…

He was texting Zoro.

Suddenly his heart started speeding up again, and he immediately opened the message, perhaps a little more eager than he’d like to admit.

“Fair night, huh? Do marimo come out after 10PM, or do I have to come over and drag your lazy ass outside?”

Zoro tried not to smile, he really did, but the corners of his mouth lifted up as if it were a reflex, and his thumb ghosted over the screen, searching for a fitting reply.

Was Sanji asking him on a date?

Somewhere in his mind, Zoro knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up like this. It was exactly the reason why he was feeling so disappointed at the thought of Sanji texting someone else with a smile on his dumb face. The football player simply had to get his shit together.

“Who said you were invited, monsier?” he simply replied, trying not to sound all too excited.

He made his way towards the apartment when suddenly his phone vibrated again, meaning Sanji was finally done showering.

“It’s monsieur, fucker. And Nami did, so you’re stuck with me for the night. I’ll meet you at your apartment at eight thirty.”

Zoro smiled, unconsciously again, replying with the smiling cowboy emoji he liked to randomly send to his friends.

Tonight was bound to be interesting.

\-----------------------------

Luffy was already munching on his third hamburger that evening, Usopp following up close with two. The fair was crowded, and while Zoro wasn’t particularly fond of this many people, it always seemed different on the October fair. The atmosphere was always light, no matter the crowd. The music, the colors and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy seemed to make up for it.  
It was the first year Sanji came along though, and Zoro wasn’t sure if seeing Sanji doing his acrobatics had made him feel different, but it had given him even more of an idea about how flexible Sanji was, and those were things Zoro did rather not know about. Yet.

“Usopp! Let’s check out the rollercoaster!” Luffy’s voice came from a distance, clearly already on his way towards the attraction. Usopp, as usual, hesitated at first, but followed eventually.  
“Well…” Sanji gave Zoro a light push. “You don’t want to join the kids in the rollercoaster?”. Zoro shook his head and lifted a brow. “Do you?”

Sanji shook his head as well, giving a disapproving hum. “Heights scare the shit out of me.”

The green haired man huffed. “You seem to be scared of a lot, don’t you?”

Even before he was able to finish his sentence, Sanji had shot him one of those killer death-glares, shutting Zoro up in an instant.

“One word. One word and you’re dead.”

The other man playfully raised his hands in defense. “Don’t come at me like that, you know it’s true.”

Sanji snarled and looked in front of him again, avoiding Zoro’s teasing whatsoever.

The evening was chilly, but the crowd and overall atmosphere made up for it, since it had been a while since Zoro enjoyed himself the way he was now.

Usopp and Luffy came back from the rollercoaster, the one already cheering for a second round, while the other was suddenly looking kinda pale and simply scared. Nami raised a hand, probably to get everyone’s attention.

“Fireworks are at 9.30, so I propose we just go and play some games and head to the Ferris wheel around a quarter past nine.”.

Ah, another one of their silly traditions. They always wanted to see the fireworks from up the Ferris wheel. And Zoro had to admit, seeing everything even a bit closer made a major difference. It was beautiful, breathtaking, but no way he’d ever admit such things.

The group kinda split up eventually, Sanji and Zoro were walking past the stands as the young chef tried several dishes he had never tried before. He mostly took about three bites and handed the rest to Zoro, so he would be able to taste everything there was to eat. Zoro wasn’t complaining.

Passing by several stands, Sanji’s eyes fell on a big, bright yellow duck. Probably a big prize. And seeing as all they had to do was throw a ball. Three towers of cups shouldn’t be that hard, right?

“Hey, dumbass. Wanna see me win that duck?” Sanji askes Zoro as they stopped at the stand. The owner was watching the conversation from afar.

“All you gotta do is knock over these three towers and the duck shall be all yours!”

Zoro rolled his eyes. “The duck? You wanna go and win a goddamn duck?”.

Sanji scoffed and went up to the owner, trading two tickets for six red balls. Zoro stood right beside him, his mind already analyzing how to throw and where to aim. Perks of being a football player. Sanji’s first three turns were over quickly, as he only managed to knock over only half of the first tower of cups.

“Bad luck tonight, young man. Perhaps your boyfriend could win it for you?” the man said, letting his gaze fall on Zoro.

Both men their eyes widened at the statement, not one of them saying a word. Zoro let his eyes fall on Sanji, who just stared back at him with equal confusion. Suddenly Zoro felt like something had snapped, and he grabbed the three remaining balls, a small, barely noticeable smile coming onto his face as he aimed for the first tower.

“Yoshhh, guess your ‘boyfriend’ will have to do it for you, then, blondie.”

“Ta gueule, asshole.”

Zoro threw the ball, the throw perfectly analyzed as it knocked down the rest of the first tower, and bounced back to take the lower cups of the second tower along with them, making it collapse as well. A proud huff left Zoro as he looked back at the cheerleader, who stood there with a surprised look on his face. Well, Zoro was a football player after all. What did he expect.

Aiming his second last ball on the third tower, Zoro took a deep breath. He was gonna win Sanji that fucking duck, even if it meant dying at this goddamn stupid stand, throwing balls at cups.

Bingo

The last bunch of cups fell to the ground, and Zoro gave the man the last remaining ball, his eyes falling on the duck behind him.

“Amazing job, young man! You have deserved the plush!” he said as he handed Zoro the big yellow duck, the green haired man already feeling embarrassed holding the thing in his arms. “Have a great evening and enjoy the fireworks, lads!”

Sanji eyed Zoro, then the duck, a stupid grin lighting up his face.

“You really went all out on those cups.” the blond teased, making Zoro scoff.

“I was just thinking of your ugly mug. It’s a secret technique.”

“Ha ha ha, such a comedian tonight, are we?”

Zoro gave Sanji a pat on the shoulder and handed him the big duck. “There, there boy. You got your teddy bear, how about we head to the Ferris wheel before aunty Nami loses her shit?”.

Sanji nearly tackled Zoro and held the duck close to his chest. “You’re a terrible human being and I hate you. Also don’t talk to me or my son ever again.”

They kept on walking as Zoro could not help but laugh. “We got a son now?” he teased.

Sanji’s blush spread over his nose and cheeks. “No that’s not what I meant, asshole!”

Zoro enjoyed teasing Sanji, it lightened the mood and covered up a much deeper, darker feelings he had for the blond. Even though Sanji knew and Zoro wasn’t planning on hiding it from him, he didn’t want to be all over Sanji the entire time the man hung out with him. He’d still have to respect the space Sanji required, although the cheerleader got really close sometimes. Too close.

“There you two are!” Nami yelled, waving a hand so the two men could see where she stood, along with everyone else. “Where have you been? Also where did that duck come from? You know what, no, a dumb question. I don’t care.”

“Guys!”

Luffy pointed towards the photo booth next to the entry of the Ferris wheel. “We should take a picture together!”

Zoro already cringed at the thought, but Sanji was quick to comply when Nami and Vivi agreed and followed them into the booth together with Luffy and Usopp. The six of them sat in the small booth, Usopp and Luffy laughing loudly as they used one of the cardboard mustaches and pulled silly faces, Nami and her blue haired friend were just going with it, and Sanji and Zoro were propped up against the back of the booth. They were both chuckling at their friends in the front, and totally not because of the fact they were kinda close to each other now, feeling all warm and uncomfortable.  
They posed and got three photos taken, two small strips immediately printed before Nami pulled them out and studied them with a sincere smile on her face. She handed one to Sanji.

“Since you paid for them, you should have an original copy. As for the rest of you dumbasses, I’ll scan them and send them over on discord. Now get on the goddamn wheel!”

As usual, everyone did as told by Nami, and paired up to get on the small benches. It was kinda obvious Zoro would end up on a seat with Sanji, they had been hanging out a lot and it wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Perhaps things would be cleared up, in the sky, during some romantic ass fireworks…

Zoro and Sanji took place, the seat way too small with the massive duck pressing in-between them and the air way too cold, but feeling the heat of Sanji’s shoulders against his, Zoro sighed and closed his eyes, trying to keep his composure. The first loud boom of an exploding firework echoed through the air, filling the sky a rosy pink that colored everything in view in its lovely hue.

The Ferris wheel stilled when both of them had just passed the top, giving them the most beautiful view possible as they could see the fireworks exploding right in front of their eyes. The entire romantic aspect of the situation hit Zoro like a brick, his gaze drifting towards Sanji who was watching everything happening with big eyes. Again, this moment reminded him an awful lot of what happened in the aquarium, and it made his heart ache with want, and something he could not yet give a place.

The colors of the fireworks reflected on Sanji’s pale skin. Purple, green, yellow, every color got a different reaction out of the blond man, the sparks of the fireworks visible in his bright blue, slightly glazed eyes.

His voice was quiet against that of the fireworks, but Zoro had heard him.

“Shouldn’t you be looking to the sky instead of me?” he asked, not looking away from the fireworks, and Zoro was relieved to see the smile that came on his face.

“I have my preferences.”

Now, that got Sanji’s attention. He slightly turned his head, watching Zoro out of the corner of his visible eye, his smirk not disappearing.

“Good for you, but you’re missing out.”

Now they both faced the sky when a big firework exploded into a lovely mix of yellows and blues, the entire sky looking awfully familiar to Zoro.

“Hey, you know Van Gogh’s work?” Zoro asked, his eyes staying on the beautiful sight.

Sanji nodded. “Mhm, would be a shame if I didn’t. What, you’re gonna tell me you actually a super artistic person?”

“No, stupid. I just wanted to say this reminds me of Starry Night.” Zoro chuckled.

“You mean the sky, or me?”

“How about both?”

Sanji turned his head again, meeting Zoro’s gaze.

“How would I resemble Starry Night?”

There were a lot of things Zoro wanted to say. The colors, the blue hues of the sky reminded him of Sanji’s eyes. Those big blue orbs he could easily drown in, but he kept himself from doing so. The yellow reminded him of Sanji’s golden hair. Those light, silk like locks he wanted to stroke as Sanji slept in his arms much like last week. It reminded him of a warm summer night, the smell of a cigarette and spices and the cologne that made Sanji so… Sanji.

“I don’t know, the curls in it reminded me of your weird ass eyebrows is all.”

A punch in the gut.

“Fuck! Sorry!”

“You’re an asshole, and I hate you.” Sanji said, looking back at the sky, placing his hand on the safety bar next to Zoro’s, pinkies barely touching. Zoro’s eye fell on their hands, and he was doubting whether or not to take that jump and just hold his hand.  
He didn’t have to think for too long when Sanji’s pinky eventually hooked into his own. Zoro’s mind short circuited at the feeling, and the football player wondered how it was possible that after 2 months, Sanji was still able to make him feel this way. It was sickening, it was terrible.

And it was one of the best things that had ever happened to Zoro.

“This okay?” Sanji asked, his eyes searching for Zoro’s, a concerned look on his face that changed colors with every audible explosion.

“Dumbass.” Zoro replied, now taking Sanji’s hand completely into his. “Shouldn’t I be asking you?”

The blond stilled, but didn’t protest. He leaned back in the seat and watched the fireworks with Zoro, his head leaning sideward to rest on Zoro’s broad, firm shoulders.

There were not only fireworks up in the sky right now. They exploded inside Zoro's stomach. Soft explosions that seemed to send tingles all over his body. Electricity ran through his veins as he felt so connected with his blond haired companion, it almost felt surreal.

And for a moment, Zoro found himself in the middle of Starry Night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HOPE IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT, AT LEAST A BIT!
> 
> In case you want to come and scream to me and my friends on my Twitter, you can find me under @Onepiecetrashh! I'd like to meet more of you!
> 
> Until next time!


	10. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro gets to celebrate his birthday with the people he loves.
> 
> Things don't end as he expected them to, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH GOD it's sure been a while, hasn't it?
> 
> I'm so sorry for the slow updates. 2019 decided to give me one last punch in the guts and fed me up with some personal shite I had to handle first. BUT ANYWAY I really, really hope this was worth the wait. I'm quite proud of this chapter so I'm excited to hear what you think!
> 
> Also back at it again with some references to Vincent Van Gogh's 'Starry Night'!
> 
> Lots lots lots of love!

Zoro wasn’t a big fan of celebrating, especially not when the whole thing was centered around him. But that never stopped Luffy and Nami from throwing a party every single year on Zoro’s birthday. The green haired football player never even mentioned his birthday date, those idiots just found it out themselves over their years of friendship.  
And thus, here Zoro was. A little drunk, his apartment filled with the people he, as much as he hated to say that out loud, held the closest. Luffy and Usopp were doing some funny karaoke thing Nami brought along, and laughter filled the living room. 

“Oi, you never opened the presents we gave you!” Ace suddenly called out from where he was lying on the floor, his foot playfully nudging Zoro’s cheek.

Zoro threw him a look, then let his gaze drop on the small pile of gifts his friends had brought along. 

“OH! How about we make you guess who’s gift it is?” Sanji proposed, clapping his hands together.

Yeah, he was there too, obviously.

“Then let’s get this over with.” Zoro mumbled, grabbing the first square-shaped box and examined it before giving it a gentle shake. “I swear to God if it’s condoms…”

Laughter broke free again and Zoro ripped the paper of the box. He eyed the sky-blue little box and opened it to see a small gift voucher.

“Worth 1 skydiving course? Me?”

Zoro looked up, a smile gracing that handsome face of his as his eyes ever so slightly lit up. Now, there was only one who possibly knew this is something he’s been wanting to do for a while. 

“Ace, is this yours?”.

The raven haired man enthusiastically shook his head. “Nope!” he replied, popping the ‘p’ as his eyes fell on his younger brother. Zoro followed his gaze.

“You got to be kidding me. Luffy, you gave me a voucher to go skydiving?”

Luffy chuckled. “Shishishi, you’re always living dangerously, so with a little of Ace’s help I found you a perfect gift! Nami paid half of it though, so it’s kinda something from both of us!”

Nami gave a proud huff, and Zoro shook his head.

“This is great, thanks you two. And you…” he smacked Ace on the back of his head. “You’re always keeping this shit from me, you know I hate surprises.”

Ace ruffled Zoro’s hair with the much needed protest.

“I would NEVER ruin my best friend’s surprise, now would I? C’mon, next gift!”

Another small box. Zoro assumed it would be another voucher. Zoro was quite the hard person to find gifts for. Not that he wasn’t easy to please, on the contrary, Zoro was pleased quite easily, but what on earth do you give to someone who looks like he already has all he needs?  
Zoro opened up the box and was immediately able to read “FRANKY’S” off the card. Franky, the guy running the most famous garage in town? The one pimping the craziest race cars?

“A voucher worth a complete maintenance of a BMW E30 cabriolet? Usopp, this is probably yours, ain’t it?” Zoro said, looking up at Usopp. The man threw back his semi-long dreadlocks and gave, much like Nami did, a proud huff. “I happen to know Franky, and since you really cherish your dad’s car, thought I might as well gift you a complete car maintenance. Those type of things cost loads of money.”  
Zoro nodded happily. “I might put this to use sooner than you think. My baby is in need of some freshening up. Thanks, Usopp. Appreciate it.”

A medium sized bag was left, and Zoro was wondering whether it was Ace’s or Sanji’s. Had Sanji brought a gift, or wasn’t this entire birthday thing not important enough to him?

Zoro, you hate your birthday yourself, you big hypocrite. Get it together, fuck.

“OH!” Ace suddenly called out. “I think now’s the perfect time for my gift!”

Everyone groaned. “Ace, how is Zoro supposed to guess if you’re already spoiling it, idiot!” Nami complained, but Ace gave zero fucks and was already on his way to the kitchen. From his place there he yelled: “OKAY ZORO! CLOSE YOUR EYES NOW!”  
Zoro wasn’t fond of this kind of stuff, but curiosity made him do it anyway.

He heard a light thud and opened his eyes, seeing a rather large box placed in front of him. There were little holes at the top and some in the sides of the box.

Oh, no.

His hands reached for the box and lifted off the top, revealing a beautiful, small grey kitten.

“You got me a cat?” Zoro asked Ace, disbelief in his eyes as he gently lifted the little animal out of its box and held it to his chest. He looked up at Ace, who’s playful smirk had turned into something more honest and sincere.

“We’ve both been discussing an animal. And I know I would’ve preferred a dog, but you wanted a cat. So here she is. Her name’s Ayame. It symbolizes- “

“Loyalty, in Japan.” Zoro followed, his large hands cupped to keep the kitten in place while his thumbs stroked it’s back. Ayame was seemingly enjoying the attention, though still aware of the new surroundings she found herself in. Zoro felt something clench in his chest. He loved animals, a lot. He and Ace had been discussing about getting one since last year the new apartment’s landlord had agreed upon allowing animals in the complex. “Thanks, Ace.”

His raven haired friend smiled watched as Zoro placed down the kitten, letting her free to explore her new home.

Sanji had already reached for his own gift, handing it to Zoro. “Guess it’s not hard to find out who’s this is.” he chuckled as Zoro took hold of the bag. He rummaged in there to immediately find a green shirt, much the same shade as his hair, a pair of football socks, and a very, very small box at the bottom.  
“You got me clothes, obviously.” Zoro chuckled.

“Since you’re a fashion-senseless ape, someone’s got to do it for you, marimo.

“This is for me, too?” Zoro asked, eyeing the box and then looking at Sanji. The blonde nodded, suddenly falling silent as he did so.

Zoro felt kind of nervous all of the sudden, and it probably had everything to do with the fact Sanji was the one who gave him this. He had gone out and bought this stuff for him.

In the little box were three golden earrings, much like the ones he was wearing now, but the new ones were thinner, shinier, and Zoro suddenly felt the emotional value it had gotten by the fact Sanji had given them.

“Your old ones were getting a little rusty. And I- “

Why was Sanji blushing?

“I just thought these would look better on you. Oh, they’re also made from actual gold, so don’t lose them, fuckface.”

Zoro was left speechless. The gifts he had gotten were so thought through, every single one of them, and this was the cherry on top of the cake. Something Sanji had given him, and something he could keep close all the time without it looking creepy.

“Look nerds, I don’t say this shit often, but you’re all really good friends. Thank you.”

The group hug he received was annoying and it made Zoro regret saying it out loud, but he loved these idiots, every single one of them.

\--------------------------------

After, mostly, everyone had left to go to bed, Zoro was left alone with Sanji, Luffy and Ace cleaning up the mess that had stayed behind. It didn’t take long though. They had ordered takeout so the trash was quickly taken care off and except for the glass bottles, everything was able to be just thrown away.  
Ace yawned, stretching his arms upwards before Luffy poked his side and chuckled.

“Cut it out, fucker. That hurts!” Ace said, grabbing Luffy with his arm and ruffling his hair. At that time, Sanji came in rubbing his hands. “The garbage is outside, so that’s taken care off. It’s fucking freezing though, damn.”

Ace looked at Luffy, then at Zoro, who returned the gaze, pleading, pleading that he wouldn’t do what Zoro was thinking Ace was about to do. God no, please no.

“Hey, I’m staying with Luffy tonight anyway, sooo…”

Ace’s eyes fell on Sanji. “You could stay the night. Sleep in my bed if you want.”

Oh, this fucker.

“Oh you don’t mind? It’d be ideal since Zoro and I were going training tomorrow anyway.”

Ace’s smirk grew. “Yeah sure! Mi casa es su casa!”

Sanji grabbed his bag and placed it on the sofa. “Thanks a lot! Appreciate it.”

Ace grabbed Luffy by the arm and pulled his unsuspecting little brother with him outside. “With pleasure! Have fun you two!”. And with a wink, the door got closed behind Ace.

Zoro did not have time to process the situation or Sanji was in his personal space again, and he didn’t even look like he was doing it on purpose.

“What was that all about?” Sanji asked, brushing some dust off Zoro’s shoulder that probably got there during cleaning up. His eyes met with Zoro’s and the green haired man’s breath got stuck in his throat. 

“Ace is just being a bully. Don’t sweat it.” He managed to bring out, and Sanji chuckled. A sound that Zoro yet had to grow used to because it made his heart stop every single time.

“Why do you see Ace letting me stay the night here as bullying?”

Sanji wasn’t backing off, on the contrary, he seemed to be getting closer and closer with every word he spoke, and this time, he wasn’t drunk. Not at all.

“Is it perhaps because you get flustered whenever you’re alone under the same roof, with me?”

The last words were silent, nearly whispered into his ear and Zoro had to hold back every fiber in his body not to jump on the blond right then and there. Instead, he gathered his last pieces of sanity, and pushed Sanji off him. He’d had enough of this tiptoeing around each other and playing with feelings he yet had to comprehend himself.

“Listen, blondie. I’ve been honest with you, and you’ve been honest with me. I told you I like you, you told me you needed space. I’ve given you that space, Sanji, but you’re making it extremely hard to hold back.”

Both seemed surprised at the words that left Zoro’s mouth, and Sanji almost seemed hurt.

“Why are you holding back?”

Zoro could roll his eyes. Throw something through the window, hit his pillow a thousand times and then scream into it until nothing of his voice was left. He stood there, wide eyed and his hands in an open position, as if it would clarify his point.

“Because you ASKED me to!”

Sanji simply didn’t seem to get it, and that only frustrated the football player more.

“Okay, let me make this clear. You like women, right? I see the way you look at them. I see the way you ARE around them, that much is obvious.”

Sanji nodded.

“But then you… burst into my life, you kiss me, then tell me you have no experience with men, at all. You then ask me to give you space and time to think. It’s been nearly 2 months since then and I’d give you all the space and time you need if it weren’t for you trying to constantly seduce me, whether it’s on purpose or not.”

That made Sanji tense up.

“You know I like you, you kiss me, you fucking did some striptease shit back at that party, you tell me you love me but as soon as someone, even if it’s me, brings that shit up you’re in denial. It makes me want to hate you. I want to push you away but I want to hold you close, get it? I want to punch you in that fucking pretty face of yours and then kiss you and caress you and fuck, Sanji, I hate feeling like this. It’s confusing and it hurts me to think about it all the time. So I gotta know, now. Either you stop this dancing around shit, or you give this entire thing a chance. Either are fine to me, but I got to know, please.”

Sanji stood there, just like that, just simply… Sanji. His eyes had closed halfway, he had put a cigarette into that foul mouth of his during Zoro’s rant, and he didn’t look his companion in the eye. Never when they spoke about these things.

“You want me to choose whether I date you or I never get to speak to you again?”

Zoro sighed. “Don’t be so fucking dramatic. If you, by any chance, do happen to like me, I won’t force you to do any of these type of things. And if you don’t like me at all, well, that’s fine too. We stay friends. But I can’t stand this shit anymore, Sanji.”

That was like, the third time he had said Sanji’s name that night, and every time he said it out loud, Sanji’s breathing grew quicker.

The blond stood there for a moment, then disposed the cigarette in the ashtray before stepping forward, closing the remaining distance between them. He could feel Zoro’s body radiating warmth. Whether it was tension or outright rage, he didn’t know. Finally looking up and making eye contact, Sanji sighed.

“I never meant to make you feel that way.”

“Well, you fucking did.” Zoro replied, but there was no venom to his words, nor to his tone.

“It’s only fair to be honest with you after you’ve been so honest with me, you’re right.”

Zoro held his breath. He was either getting a confession, or he was getting his heart broken. There was no in-between, now. Sanji’s hands slowly came up to his chest, his right one resting on Zoro’s rapidly beating heart.

“I might have started to like you, you know, over time.”  
It was short, silent, but it was ever so clear the blond was finally speaking the truth, looking Zoro straight in the eyes as he confessed. It was the truth.

“And I only hoped to figure those things out more by having you… touch me. And kiss me and all that good shit. It makes me feel nice so I though…”.

The silence that fell was long gone as Zoro’s lips crashed upon Sanji’s, large calloused hands finding the small of his back, the back of his head, his hair, to eventually settle with cradling Sanji’s flushed face.

Sanji, to his own surprise, didn’t hesitate, immediately responding to the kiss as his hands found Zoro’s broad shoulders. If he was going to kiss this man, no way he was going to let him take control. Their tongues danced in a battle neither of them had felt before. It was brutal, yet gentle. It made Zoro want to hold this man forever, and it almost felt like this was their first kiss all over again, but better.

Quickly regaining control after his own confession, Sanji pushed Zoro up against the counter and his hands now found their way to that soft, green hair. It felt surreal, unlike anything Zoro had ever felt. Different from any woman, any man both of them had ever shared this kind of intimacy with.  
Zoro suddenly thought of what he had felt a couple of weeks ago, when he had compared Sanji to Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. Once in middle school he had presented this painting in art class, and his teacher had asked him what he felt when looking at it.

This was it. 

Fireworks exploded behind his closed eyelids, his stomach fluttering, twisting and as the time seemed to stand still while it was just the two of them, loving and being loved. This was Starry Night, in all its glory.

Zoro could feel Sanji smirking through the kiss, and he slowly opened his eyes to see the blonde staring back at him, eyes half closed and lips still slightly touching as he smiled up at Zoro. 

“You kiss awfully good for an ape. Did I ever tell you that?”

Zoro placed a kiss among Sanji’s jaw. “Is that your subtle way of asking for more?”

Sanji hummed happily. “Mmmayhaps?”

Both of them were pulled from their trance as a loud scream outside took their attention, both turning towards the window. 

“So I’m not imagining things, you heard it too?” Sanji asked when Zoro reached for his vest to go look outside.

“No, I’m going to take a look. You stay here, I’ll be right back.”

The gentle smile he gave as he left the room made Sanji feel warm.

The night air was chilly, and Zoro zipped up his vest as he looked around. It didn’t take long to find the woman running away, leaving behind a drunken bastard who probably could not help but bother her. The man was holding a greenish bottle, vodka probably. He leaned against the wall, wobbling a bit as he did.

“Hey, dude.” Zoro began. “You’re kind of being a bother here. Want me to call you a cab?”

The man looked up, unable to keep his head still and wobbled over to Zoro.

“Th’fuck you sayin’, fuhcking punk?”

Zoro held out his hands, keeping the man on a safe distance.

“Look buddy, I ain’t here to fight. I’ll call you a cab to take you home, unless you’d rather have me calling the cops.”. 

The man smirked. A drunken, terrible evil grin on his face as he got way too close for Zoro to be comfortable.

“Back off.”. Zoro’s voice was firm, but it wasn’t enough.

A smash and the rattling of glass was all Zoro was able to hear. The smell of alcohol filling his nostrils as his vision went dark. There was a heavy pressure on his eye. It didn’t hurt, but it was there, definitely.

He heard footsteps running off, and then distantly heard the door of the complex open.

Sanji was screaming. Maybe even crying. He didn’t know. But he recognized his smell, his voice.

He felt those hands cradle his face again. They felt moist. Tears?

Blood?

With Sanji and his recent confession on his mind, Zoro felt himself growing completely unconscious. 

As everything went dark, all he could think of was blue, all shades of blue, gold, white.

Starry Night.

Sanji.


	11. Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoro lived. Did he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER CHAPTER OOF
> 
> Okay, so the next chapter will be smut which I will publish in a seperate chapter soon so the people who don't like reading that kind of stuff can continue the story without missing any important things! 
> 
> Sorry for the slow way of updating, stuff's been crazy so we're just grabbing 2020 by the shoulders and giving it a shale telling it to get it's shit together!
> 
> Lots lots lots of love!

Surrounded by warmth, Zoro felt himself waking up and gaining back his consciousness. He had no memory of what happened and trying to remember only hurt his head more than it already did. He saw light through his closed eyelids, but it was dim, and gentle. Zoro spent the next few minutes trying to open his eyes, but nothing in his body wanted to cooperate. Not one single muscle. After all, a frustrated groan escaped his numb lips.

“That’s alright. Take your time.” A soft voice spoke, grabbing a hold of his hand.

Somewhere in his sleep-drugged mind, Zoro hoped it was the blond with him, holding his hand. And for some reason, that thought entered his mind even before the absurdity of the entire situation kicked in. Where was he, anyway?

Finally, his right eye seemed to work along, slowly opening up to reveal a darkened room, the only source of light coming from the opened door at the end of the room. The left side of his vision stayed entirely dark while Zoro tried to take in his surroundings. Still enveloped by the warm blanket of sleep, he let his one eye inspect the white ceiling. He wasn’t able to move his head, it seemed. His body felt paralyzed and he felt a headache slowly starting to build up. Another groan.

“Zoro, try and squeeze my hand if you understand me.”

He could now hear Nami’s voice loud and clear. Her voice was gentle but it pierced through his eardrums and made his head throb. Zoro squeezed shut his eye, groaning at the sound of her voice and squeezing Nami’s hand.

“Oh thank God, he’s reacting!” he heard her say, before she was interrupted by a lower, raspier voice that clearly belonged to a man that was seemingly also in the room.

“Mister Roronoa, I’m gonna need you to open up your right eye for me. But don’t force it too much. Can you do that for me?”

His voice was calm, controlled and lacked the high throbbing pitch that Nami’s voice had. So Zoro did what the man asked, slowly opening his right eye and feeling how the other one seemed to be glued shut. In his view came the man, raven black hair and hazel, almost yellow eyes looking down on his. The outline of his eyes was dark and made the irises stand out even more. His dark skin stood in beautiful contrast with the white vest he was wearing and Zoro wasn’t gonna lie that this sure was an attractive man.

“This isn’t gonna be nice for you, but I’ll need to check your pupil’s reaction time for a second. Bear with me.”

The light of the little lamp was in his eye, and Zoro could again only growl at the unpleasant feeling as his legs seemed to shift automatically at the discomfort. He was still in a haze and with everything happening, Zoro almost felt like panicking.

The light went out and Zoro slumped back, muscles relaxing and chest heaving. His eye searched the room until he saw that recognizable head of red hair. Nami. Zoro had never thought he’d be so happy to see that witch in the same room as him.

“N- Nameh”

It came out so pathetic sounding, but Nami was at his side in no time, again grabbing hold of his trembling hand, her fingers gliding over the bandage on his hand that held the IV in place.

“It’s okay, I’m here. Are you in any pain?”

From the corner of his eye, Zoro could see the handsome doctor checking the painkillers the IV was providing him of, before he slowly shook his head. He turned back to Nami, concern in his eye. Sowly the events of the previous night seeped back into his mind, and he remembered the drunk fuck, and shit, Sanji.

“Sa-“. He had to swallow because his throat felt like a fucking dessert. “Sanji”

“He’s safe.” Nami immediately reassured him. “He was able to identify the man who did this to you and they immediately took action. Sanji hasn’t left your side ever since.”

Zoro raised a brow, with the needed effort. “Whe-“

“At the cafeteria. Getting coffee and probably helping the staff out to set his mind off things. He’ll be back soon.” Nami spoke, and it wasn’t long before a smile came to her face. “He also told me the good news. I’m really happy for you both. Honestly I was wondering how much longer it’d take you two idiots.”

Zoro felt confused, tired, and this was too much to process at once. He looked up again, resting his head fully in the soft pile of white pillows and fixated his gaze back on the ceiling. Oh right. He was together, with Sanji. Well, was he? Probably?  
“Zoro, your statistics seem okay.” said the doctor, who was still present. “You got a good piece of glass in your eye but it wasn’t fatal, meaning you’ll still be able to see with it, though not as sharp as the with the other. We’ll be giving you medication and treatment to try and make sure you’ll be able to use your eye much like before. The only physical mark that’ll be left is the scar. Aside from that you’ll be back to normal in no time. We’re keeping you here for a night or two before you can head home and fully rest up. Do you understand?”

Zoro was able to nod slightly before he drifted back off to sleep.

He had no idea what time it was when he woke up. The door was closed, making the room almost completely dark aside from the light his monitors made. Zoro felt how he could move his limbs again, and how the feeling in his fingertips had returned. Something else he immediately noticed was the sharp, stinging pain in his left eye.  
Next to him, Zoro heard a soft snoring, and after a few tries, he finally managed to turn his head. 

Sanji was sleeping in the sofa next to Zoro’s bed, and as cliché as this whole fucking scene seemed, Zoro was actually very happy to have the blond this close. Sanji had his knees pulled up slightly, and his head leaned sideward against the back of the seat, lips slightly parted as he softly breathed through them. His blond hair was covering both of his eyes now, and he honestly looked like a mess.

How long had he been here? And where was Nami?

As if on cue, Zoro saw the lightning in the room change as the door slowly opened, revealing a familiar black head of hair and a worried face covered in freckles.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Ace said in a very quiet voice that was extremely unlike him. He went to stand next to the bed and held Zoro’s wrist firmly. His eyes scanned Zoro’s face, dark eyes flicking up and down as he studied his best friend with his thick eyebrows furrowed.

“You fucking scared me back there, man.”

His grip on Zoro’s wrist tightened.

“Never do that kind of heroic shit again on your own, got it? From now on we do that kind of dumb stuff together. Fuck, I could’ve lost you.”

Zoro, who was slowly regaining his conscious and rational mind, finally understood how scared Ace was, had been. And suddenly felt a thick, aching feeling of guilt building up.

“M’sorry.” said Zoro, his voice raspy and barely audible. Ace seemed to calm down at that and slowly relaxed his facial features.

“We’re going home tomorrow, according to doctor Traffie over there. Try and rest up, okay? Sanji’s coming to pick you up tomorrow and I’ll make sure the apartment is ready.”

The thought of going back to their apartment comforted Zoro, and lulled him right back to sleep.

\----------------------------------------------------

“Zoro, doctor Trafalgar told you to keep on your bandage for the day! Stop trying to take it off!” Sanji complained, not taking his eyes off the road for longer than a few seconds. He had taken Nami’s car to come pick Zoro up, since she was covering up for Sanji at cheerleader practice.  
Zoro was already tearing at the bandage, letting out all of his frustration as he did so. “Oh fuck damn we’ll put on a new one when we get home! Stop being a whiny bitch about it, blondie.”  
Zoro looked into the tiny rearview mirror of Nami’s mini-cooper, and admired the scar that was stitched straight across his eye, which he could not open yet.  
“If it wasn’t for the pain that came with it, I’d say this looks pretty dope.” Zoro said, and Sanji sighed at his choice of words. The blond hadn’t said a lot ever since the incident. It had been three days now, and he was driving Zoro home from the hospital. After a short silence, Sanji spoke.

“You really scared me, Zoro.”

The green haired man fell silent too, and looked at Sanji.

“I know. Sorry ‘bout that.”

Sanji kept his eyes on the road, and Zoro clearly saw how watery they had been this entire time.

“Well.” the blond said. “At least they managed to catch and lock that fucker up.”

Zoro nodded and watched as Sanji parked his car in front of Zoro’s apartment.

The cheerleader stepped out, and opened Zoro’s door to help him stand steadily on two legs before taking out the rest of Zoro’s belongings. He slumped one of Zoro’s arms over his shoulders before helping the other man get upstairs to his apartment.

“You’re being so obedient.” Sanji chuckled. “I’m not used to you letting me help.”

Zoro felt awkward admitting it, but Sanji was a great help, and he was feeling extremely weak, every bit of help the blond offered was more than welcome.

It was Ace who heard them coming and who immediately opened the door so Zoro could step in unbothered. The green haired man let go of Sanji to embrace his childhood friend. 

“Welcome home, champ.” Ace sighed happily, and Zoro returned the embrace, also accepting the extra support to lean on.

Sanji stood behind them, watching the two and placing Zoro’s bags next to the kitchen counter before interrupting.

“You need to go and win that game.” Said Sanji, pointing at Ace and referring to this afternoon’s game. It was practice, but someone had to cover up for Zoro.

Ace saluted Sanji and grabbed his bag. “Yes sir!”. He patted Zoro gently on the shoulder and whispered: “Let blondie take good care of you, alright?”

Fucker never knew how to be subtle.

Sanji, who had clearly heard Ace’s words, just rolled his eyes as a light shade of crimson dusted his cheeks. They both watched Ace disappear out of the apartment and then shared a look.

Zoro couldn’t fucking help himself.

“So…” he began, shuffling closer to where Sanji could in what was possibly the dorkiest and non-smooth way someone would do so. “Where were we?”

Before he even reached the blond, Sanji burst out laughing, shaking his head and god help Zoro, it was like music to his ears.

“You’re such a dumbass, I hate you.” Sanji said when his laughing fit died down.

“No you don’t.” said Zoro, and Sanji felt how out of character Zoro was being, letting his guard down and being all playful around another man.

Finally, close enough, Zoro reached out and pulled Sanji against him, their bodies flush together and the tip of Sanji’s nose touching his own. He felt the blonde’s hot breath on his lips as they slowly parted in anticipation. This is where they left off last time. If they were gonna start this now, there was no way they would be able to turn back.

The thought freaked Sanji out a little.

But then there were those lips on his again, and the doubt he constantly felt about ‘feeling stuff’ for Zoro, it disappeared in a heartbeat. He did feel ‘stuff’ for Zoro. He fucking loved him. His heart ached when he saw Zoro playing football, motions controlled and face ever so focused. He’ll never forget the face of the other man when he stripped of his shirt. He’d never forget those hungry eyes running over his lean cheerleader-trained body, his lips saying no, but his eyes saying ‘fuck yes’.

Sanji wanted that. More of that. He wanted all of it.

And what Sanji wanted, Sanji would get.

The blond took control over the kiss, holding Zoro’s face with both hands and his thumb sliding over the sensitive scar, reminding him that there were things to be done first.

“We’re gonna bandage you up first, tiger.” Sanji said, already breaking apart and making his way to the bags that contained the needed supplies.

“Let’s do this in the bedroom. I’ll go grab a towel.”

Zoro did as he was ordered, going to the bedroom and letting himself fall down right on the soft bed he’d missed so much.

“Just lie down, this might sting a little.” 

Sanji dabbed a prescribed disinfectant over the fresh wound, Zoro slightly flinching at how cold it was and the slight sting.  
Next followed the warmth of the soft compress, and the tape being placed over it. Sanji wrapped it up with a bandage that slightly messed up Zoro’s hair but really, what’s new.

“There.” Sanji said, clearly proud of himself as he placed away the kit. When he came to sit back up, he felt two hands grabbing him by the shirt and completely pulling him up the bed.

And as simple as that, Zoro was now straddling Sanji, and was now the one in control.

“My turn.”


	12. Expression (SMUT)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No turning back now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you go further I'd like to say, being a first-time fanfic writer, this is also my very first smut.
> 
> I'm not used to writing fanfictions and writing smutty chapters is also new territory for me, so bear with me sjdjsjf
> 
> ANYWAY I made this a seperate chapter so those who don't like reading smut can easily skip this, since it doesn't contain very important plot material. Everything important to be said will be there in the morning. :)
> 
> In case it hasn't been made clear yet, this chapter contains EXPLICIT CONTENT! If you don't like reading this, there's really no need to!
> 
> Thank you so much for your ongoing support 💕

Zoro's mouth quickly found the throbbing pulse underneath the skin of Sanji's neck.   
Deciding not to leave that pale, silk like neck unmarked, Zoro softly started sucking on that spot, making Sanji groan in frustration and lust. The sucking increased, and Sanji felt like he was being torn apart and put back together all over again.   
His sensitive neck had never received such treatment before and it was truly doing things to him.  
Still trying to hold back his lewd sounds, Sanji felt how Zoro let go of the spot he left a mark on, and gave it a small, apologetic lick. The cool air reaching his wet skin was a complete new sensation and it made Sanji buck his hips up into Zoro's, who groaned at the friction and static that one movement caused.

Then, Sanji moaned.

"Putain, Zoro...".

He moaned Zoro's name.

The first word, he had heard before. Sanji often used it when he cursed.

But his name.

Those four letters, the 'r' rolling of his tongue in that delicious, thick french accent, mixed with a lewd, lovely moan. The way his name was pronounced made Zoro remember one of their very first conversations, where he had almost lost it the moment Sanji said his name with that gorgeous accent.

Sanji barely said his name, let alone in such a loving tone. Zoro often made fun of his accent, especially when Sanji spoke French on the phone or when he got angry, but hearing him curse in French under Zoro's very own touch...  
Zoro's good eye widened and he lifted his head, looking down at the blonde that laid spread out beneath him.  
His blonde hair was a mess, eyes closed in bliss as he softly panted.  
When that one visible eye opened, glistening in the dark of the room, Sanji mumbled between his teeth.  
A mix of pleas like "N'arrête pas", "Fuck" and Zoro's very own name echoed through the room when Zoro placed his mouth on Sanji's neck again, his hands snaking up the dress shirt the blonde was wearing.

But with the little sanity Zoro had left, he drew back once again, making Sanji whimper in anticipation. Something was bothering him, and no matter how dumb it seemed to sound, Zoro needed to get it out of the way.

"Sanji, look at me.".

The cheerleader obeyed.

"Look at me and explicitly tell me you want to do this with me.".

In his unfazed state of lust and want, Sanji did not immediately understand what Zoro was trying to do.   
All he did was eagerly dive in for a kiss again, but Zoro was having none of it and pulled back before he too got lost again in their current activities.

"Sanji, I'm gonna need your consent here. I'm not going to touch you before you actually tell me you want me to.".

Sanji finally seemed to comprehend Zoro's words as he lifted his curly eyebrow. Lying beneath Zoro as a panting, shaking mess, Sanji managed to gathered enough breath to be able to reply.

"Yes, I want this, and I want it with no one but you. I'm a complete dumbass when it comes to these things, especially with men, so you're gonna have to walk me through this.".

His hands caressed Zoro's flushed face. Fingers tracing over the patch that covered his left eye.  
"But I really, really want this. I want this with you, Zoro.".

That being all the permission he needed, Zoro leaned in for a gentle kiss. His lips ever so lightly brushing over Sanji's, eye fluttering shut as he did so.  
His hands moved from Sanji's face to the white dress shirt, undoing every button so slowly it was almost painful. Sanji smiled softly at Zoro's focussed expression and eventually started helping on those damned small buttons.  
Shirt finally open, Zoro didn't even feel like taking it off in one go. He wanted to feel, explore and devour. Everything happening in this room was new to Sanji, and Zoro was going to take his sweet time showing Sanji that a man could love and worship him just as much as any woman out there could do.  
His hands pushed the shirt slightly out of the way, still leaving it on but exposing the blond's beautiful chest. Sanji being a cheerleader kept him in shape and flexible, that clearly being visible by the abs gracing his stomach, and the slight swell of his gorgeous pecs. Zoro swallowed. Aside from Sanji being simply good looking, he also had the body of an Adonis. Lean, toned and a colour so pale and beautiful, it almost looked like silk.

Zoro's hands went over the other man's smooth chest, thumbs ever so lightly brushing over his nipples as he did so. It wasn't long before Sanji responded to that, letting out a loud, seductive moan and taking Zoro's face in his hands so he could crash his lips onto his again. Zoro complied, his tongue gracefully wrestling with Sanji's as his fingers kept teasing the blonds sensitive nipples.   
Zoro's mouth trailed down to Sanji's neck, again giving it the treatment the blond seemed to like so much. Sanji sounded like he was about to cry, and Zoro lived for it.

"Zoro, s'il te plaît. S'il te plaît, je t'en supplie.".

Zoro smirked into the crook of Sanji's neck.

"I have no fucking clue what you're saying but it sounds a lot like begging.".

Sanji let out a frustrated growl, which soon turned into a deep, sensual cry of pleasure when Zoro's mouth started to tease at the already abused nipple

"FUCK!" the blond cried out, and Zoro gave one last suck before sliding even lower, teeth grazing the toned abs.

"That I do understand." Zoro muttered happily, tongue repeating the path over and over again until it reached a happy trail of blonde hairs just below his navel. Zoro kissed at the sensitive skin and Sanji covered his face again, not even able to speak anymore. Reaching the last obstacle that were Sanji's pants, Zoro looked up once more, as if asking for permission to move on. Sanji looked at Zoro through his fingers, and slowly nodded.  
That was all it took for Zoro before he took a firm hold of Sanji's belt. He unclasped the thing, not even bothering to completely remove it as he slowly pulled down Sanji's slacks and threw them across the room, only hearing the dull thud of Sanji's belt hitting the floor.  
Left in only his boxers and open shirt, a shiver ran up Sanji's spine when Zoro pressed kisses to Sanji's firm length through the dark grey boxers. Sanji nearly chocked on his own breath.

"Ahh putain Zoro, Je... Je suis..."

Sanji removed his hands, deciding to sit up slightly and look at how Zoro disposed Sanji of his shorts so fucking slowly, he thought his dick was going to fall off. He'd been fantasising about this man. About those lips on his, those toned abs right underneath his fingertips.

And Jesus take the wheel, that green head of hair inbetween his already trembling legs.

Sanji had never been with a man before, but if this wasn't the most erotic sight he'd ever witnessed, he'd be lying. 

Boxers long gone, Zoro decided to have some more playtime with Sanji before they went any further. Spreading Sanji's legs a little wider, Zoro felt his cock throb at the slight display of Sanji's endless flexibility. The blond had in the meantime gone back to covering his face, meaning Zoro had probably been staring for too long. He went back to the task at hand and gave a gentle kiss underneath Sanji's knee. The cheerleader actually whined at that and those soft, pleasured cries only got louder as those kisses trailed off to the center. By the time Zoro kissed the inside of his thigh, Sanji's hands flew to Zoro's hair, and the football player wasn't sure whether he wanted to pull him away or simply keep him there. Sucking lightly at the skin of Sanji's thigh, Zoro was thrilled to discover how sensitive the blond was there, and how worked up he got learning about Zoro's obvious oral fixation.  
Sanji's moans grew louder and the grip on his hair tighter. Shit, it had probably been a while for both of them, but the thought of making the blond cum without even touching him…

"Putain, Zoro. Get a fucking move on." 

His voice was raspy, hoarse, and so fucking sexy when spoken in that low baritone. It also seemed that, when Sanji got really excited, the man forgot about his regular, English accent, too. Instead he used his mother tongue. French. The language of love. Every syllable rolled off that foul tongue as he cursed under his moans and Zoro was a victim, addicted to every word Sanji spoke while he pleasured the blond in hopes of showing him what heaven really felt like.

So Zoro obliged, because if it wasn't clear by now, he was addicted to Sanji. The cheerleader could ask him for anything now. Anything. And Zoro fucking would.

Gently grabbing the base of Sanji's cock, the blond gasped. Zoro looked up to look for any signs of hesitation or doubt, but none were found in both exposed, half lidded blue eyes who were looking right back at him, encouraging Zoro to move on. Sanji’s chest was heaving, and Zoro could swear he heard the loud beating of his heart.

He was nervous, so much was obvious, and Zoro wanted to do everything to prove Sanji he had no reason to feel nervous or stressed whatsoever. So, ever so slowly, Zoro pressed a soft kiss to Sanji's already throbbing member, elicting one of the most delicious sounds Zoro had ever heard from his partners mouth. It gave the football player a sense of pride, knowing how excited Sanji got while Zoro was spoiling him like this.   
After what felt like an eternity of thinking and staring, Zoro eventually enveloped the entire length in one, slow motion, making Sanji’s back arch off the bed and god, what a sight it was. His blond hair a golden halo on the black pillow, all around his face, framing it in the most beautiful, angelic sight Zoro had ever seen. Wanting to see and hear more of the man below him, Zoro started to carefully bob his head up and down, coaxing Sanji’s member gently with his tongue as he did so.   
Sanji’s back slammed back down on the bed after a long, drawn out moan, and Zoro took the opportunity to pin his hips down so he could take the man whole. Sanji was in bliss. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows pinched together in a look of ecstasy. Those luscious lips were slightly parted as quiet, French curse words slipped between them. He felt sanji resisting, wanting to throw up his hips and thrust into Zoro’s throat, but the green haired man wouldn’t let him.   
After some more slow, torturous moments, Sanji shakingly sat up on his elbows, and spoke.

“H-hah, Zoro…”

Fuck. There was that French accent again.

“If you keep this up I’m gonna come.” Sanji continued, his voice and overall appearance a hot, flustered mess.

The football player looked him in the eyes, but didn’t let Sanji’s request stop him. He bobbed his head as he kept the eye contact with Sanji, tears stinging at the corners of his eyes and salvia trickling down his chin. Sanji’s mouth parted again, taking on the shape of a small “oh” as his eyes rolled back and the blond fell back to the bed with a soft thump. 

As much as Zoro wanted to just keep going and make Sanji come undone with just his mouth, he had a better plan. If the blonde was up for it, that is. He lifted his head, replacing his mouth with hand and looking Sanji in the eyes again.

“How do you want to do this, Sanji?”

The blond seemed dumbstruck by the question, sitting back up and looking at Zoro as if he had just gotten the weirdest question ever heard. He was still panting and his eyes were glazed with lust, but Zoro kept his composure even under that heated gaze.

“I- I don’t know. How’s it supposed to go?”

That made Zoro sigh. He let go of Sanji’s legs and crawled over the slightly smaller body until he was face to face with his partner again. “There are no rules, Sanji.”

He kissed the blond’s forehead and nuzzled his hair ever so gently. “If you want me to get you off like this, I’ll do so. And if you want us to take things further, we will.”

The cheerleader moaned when Zoro’s lips attached to his neck again, sucking and grazing his teeth over the hypersensitive skin.

“All of it.” Sanji eventually breathed. “Give me all of it.”

Zoro’s head fucking spinned. This was all too good to be true. He had loved Sanji, ever since the fucker entered his life, sitting on those tribunes and staring at him with those intense blue eyes. Those same eyes were staring into his now, almost four months after they first met; both of them in bed, and Sanji nearly naked underneath him, aside from the open shirt that hung loosely from his shoulders.

Zoro took matters in his own hands again, and reached for the bedside table to retrieve a small bottle of lube and a condom. Sanji followed the ministrations with wide eyes, probably wondering why exactly Zoro owned that bottle of lube, but decided not to question it. Besides, he was far too interested in other things, right now. He watched as Zoro, still fully clothed, showed him the bottle and gave it a little shake.

“Lube.” Zoro said, and sanji couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Figured that out, you little shit.”

Zoro rolled his eyes as he grinned, leaning down to give Sanji another one of those breathtaking kisses. Things quickly went back to their heated state from before when Sanji started pulling at Zoro’s shirt.

“Take off your clothes, barbarian.”

Zoro obliged, because who was he to refuse when Sanji laid on his bed, naked, and waiting for Zoro to ravish him right then and there.

Left in his black boxer briefs, Zoro crawled over Sanji again, kissing his neck as he whispered.

“Do you know how this works? Like, stretching and all that stuff?”

Sanji sighed at the feeling of those distracting lips but nodded. 

“I think I do.”

Zoro looked him in the eyes and nodded, handing sanji the bottle, to his surprise.

“Y-you want me to do it myself?”

Zoro lifted a brow, surprised with sanji’s reaction.

“Well, unless you want to watch me do it to myself?”

Oh, this was awkward.

After a good minute of silence, Zoro was the first one to start laughing nervously, and believe it or not, it absolutely warmed Sanji’s heart knowing Zoro was probably as nervous as he was.

“I, uh, think this is a misunderstanding. Figured you’d prefer taking me, for your first time.”

Now it was Sanji’s turn to chuckle at that, the awkward atmosphere long gone.

“What makes you think I can’t take it, you big green oaf?”

Zoro’s hand stroked Sanji’s hair, and he smiled down at the man underneath him.

“That’s not it. I just want to make this as good as possible, for you.”

That made Sanji choke up a little. He really did love this man, didn’t he? All of the past confusions he had melted as if they were snow under a hot burning sun, and Sanji felt his cheeks flush.

“Then I want you to take me, Zoro. Show me how this is done.”

With a low, feral growl, Zoro attacked sanji’s neck again, the blond immediately responding to the touch. Now that they had things figured out, there was no single trace of doubt left between them, leaving space for pleasure and the love they felt for one another.

It wasn’t long before Zoro was kissing down Sanji’s stomach again, finding Sanji’s hard member just to start sucking it again much like he did earlier. Sanji clamped his hands over his mouth because one or another way, with all the doubts gone, this felt ten times more intense, and he didn’t think it could get any better until he heard the cap of the small bottle open. Zoro poured the clear liquid all over his fingers and warmed them up, all the while sucking Sanji intensely. With Sanji distracted by what was probably one of the best blowjobs he had ever gotten, Zoro lifted his left leg up onto his shoulders, both increasing the pressure of his mouth, and giving him perfect access to Sanji’s entrance. Even through the amazing feeling of Zoro’s mouth around his cock, Sanji could feel a finger teasingly stroking at his entrance, gently prodding and pushing as he did so. It felt unnatural, and Sanji felt fear creeping up, but he trusted Zoro in what he did, and decided to just relax and focus on the feeling of zoro’s mouth.

Zoro saw Sanji’s state change over time. He saw how he tensed up when he pushed in his first finger, then felt Sanji slowly relaxing around it. Good. He’s doing so good.

“You’re doing great, Sanji.” Zoro said as he let go of Sanji’s cock for a moment and kissed the soft, pale thigh. “Just relax.”

Sanji whined at that, throwing up his hips and Zoro got the hint, returning his mouth to it’s previous destination as he added a second, generously lubed finger.

Sanji screamed, loud, too loud, and Zoro came to a halt for a second because he was scared he had hurt him, but again, Sanji surprised Zoro. This time by moving himself on Zoro’s fingers, his pained cries soon turning into pleasured moans, and Zoro was lost.

It wasn’t long before Sanji spoke up again, voice completely lost in bliss and still fucking himself on Zoro’s fingers.

“H-hah, do it. A-add another one. Zoro…”

Before he got to finish his request, Zoro had already did as he was asked, adding a third finger and meeting Sanji’s thrusts with his hand. When he hit the blond’s prostate, Sanji nearly screamed again, but it was different. It was pure sex.

Zoro’s mouth trailed up Sanji’s lean body again, kissing every exposed inch of skin, until he reached the blonds face and watched as he kept on fingering him.

“Fuck, putain, I’m ready, you ass.” Sanji snapped when Zoro had been staring a little too long. 

Zoro grinned down at him, finally taking off his way too tight boxers and rolling the condom over his aching member, all while nuzzling Sanji’s slightly sweaty neck.   
God, he would do anything for this man, right now.

Just as he was about to open the lube, a wave of exhaustion overcame Zoro. He felt extremely dizzy and simply stared in front of him.

“Zoro? You okay?”

Zoro shook his head and sighed. He had nearly forgotten about the injury. The anesthesia had made him tired and the doctors had indeed said the fatigue could be present for a while.

“Yeah, I’m fine. My head just kinda hurts all of a sudden.”

Sanji stroked Zoro’s cheek.

“You wanna stop?”

Zoro looked him in the eyes, and he seemed so concerned, the larger man thought he might melt.

“Fuck, no.” was all he said before he dove in again. Kissing Sanji was addicting. Touching Sanji was addicting. BEING with sanji. It was addicting.

The cheerleader immediately responded to the kiss, again throwing up his hips and Zoro moaned at the friction it caused. 

Now it was Sanji’s turn to be surprised. Zoro was always so stoic, so serious, and right now all Sanji saw was that expression of lust, those pinched eyebrows, quivering, wet lips.

Zoro was fucking beautiful.

That was all it took for Sanji to decide he was gonna call the shots from now on. Locking his legs around Zoro, and using all the strength he had in them, he flipped both of them around, straddling Zoro and giving another long, drawn out roll of his hips that made Zoro moan even louder.

“W-what are you trying to prove, blondie?” he breathed, making Sanji chuckle.

“I can make you feel good as well, you second rate football player.” Sanji said as he opened up the bottle of lube again and poured it all over his sacred left hand.

It was all Zoro was able to process before Sanji’s hand wrapped around his length, the cold temperature of the lube and the delicious pressure causing Zoro’s eye to roll back as he moaned loudly, allowing Sanji to take full control of the situation.

Sanji grinned as he saw Zoro lose it, and that’s something he wanted to see more of. He wanted to see Zoro come undone, and not just today. Every day. Every night. Every hour of the rest of his life he wanted to be with this man who loved him dearly. And slowly but surely, Sanji was starting to realize he loved Zoro back just as much.

The blond cheerleader got up on his knees and shifted forward, looking Zoro in the eyes as if he was asking for permission, and as an answer, Zoro sat up, embracing Sanji as the other lowered himself onto Zoro’s length, ever so slowly.

Neither of them were silent, but it was Sanji who got vocal more quickly once he was fully seated. They stayed like that for a moment, Zoro holding onto him as he felt Sanji’s muscles clench and relax around him.

“Fuck” the green haired man breathed, absently kissing Sanji’s shoulder.

Sanji’s breathing was erratic, as his arms wrapped around Zoro’s neck. God, this was something different. Something he wasn’t really used to, but…

Something good, though.

When he felt ready, Sanji moved his hips, rolling them in random patterns until he found a rhythm to work with, lifting and lowering himself over Zoro’s length.

The football player held onto dear life, grabbing Sanji’s thighs as he sat there and watched Sanji work himself over his cock. It wasn’t long before Zoro lost simply all of his energy due to the draining pleasure, and fell onto the bed with a soft thud. 

Sanji took that as an opportunity to place both of his hands on Zoro’s muscled pectorals, squeezing slightly as he rode the other man slow and lovingly, pouring everything he felt for this man into his actions. Zoro felt it, and it showed. His shaking hands stroked Sanji’s thighs so gently and eventually moved towards his cock, stroking it lazily as both felt their climax approaching. It had been a while for both of them, and since all of their feelings were laid out bare for the other to see, they’d have enough time to explore this, together.

With that in mind, Zoro began stroking faster, bucking his hips to meet Sanji’s movements when the blond basically screamed out, eyes closed in bliss and his fingers absently brushing Zoro’s nipples. He had hit that good spot again and Sanji sure as hell was gonna show it.

Zoro felt his orgasm approaching fast and hard, so as quickly as he could, he sat up, stroking Sanji roughly as he kissed the blond with all he had to offer. Sanji melted into it, at this point moving without rhythm, chasing his peak just as much as Zoro.

Zoro came first, thrusting up into that tight, delicious heat that was his lover, and Sanji followed seconds after, riding out his orgasm as long as possible. Zoro helped Sanji through his climax, stroking him all the way though, kissing his neck, face, and his free hand stroking Sanji’s hair lovingly until Sanji’s hips twitched, and he came to a halt.

Despite still being in his high, Zoro placed his hands on Sanji’s back and turned them around, gently laying Sanji down on the covers and accompanying him a second after, both still panting, and utterly spent from their previous actions. Zoro did find the energy to get up and enter the bathroom, discarding himself from the condom and wet a towel with warm water before going back to help Sanji clean up.

Sanji hummed in appreciation when he felt the damp towel make contact with his sore skin. Zoro grinned and cleaned up their mess, finally laying down next to the spent blond.

Now that the sexual tension from all previous months had disappeared, Zoro wasn’t sure what to do. Sanji was a cuddler, that he had discovered a while ago, so maybe…

Turning to face the exhausted blond, Zoro stretched an arm, and it didn’t take Sanji two seconds to come lay against that bare, scarred, beautiful chest. So warm.

“I know I haven’t said this before, but I fucking love you, Zoro.”

The football players heart stopped for a moment, then it began beating so rapidly he didn’t know what to do with himself.

“I love you too. More than you can imagine.”

With that, the cheerleader cuddled up once more, pressing a loving kiss in the crook of Zoro’s neck, and the green haired man’s heart fluttered.

Sanji’s breathing calmed down, and eventually got into a rhythm that told Zoro the blond was finally asleep. Zoro closed his good eye, and slept so good that night, he nearly forgot about everything else but Sanji right there with him.


End file.
